Reading Alexandra Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by Focusing
Summary: Girl!Harry Fem!Harry Will Alexandra Potter, her friends, family and some enemies succeed in changing the future by reading seven books about her life in Hogwarts? A lot of secrets will be revealed, some find new friends and other even their love. Read and find out how books can save lives, bring people together and show people true faces! EVERYTHING BELONGS TO JKR !
1. Chapter 1

_**This is going to be a Reading the Harry Potter books fanfiction :D**_

_**Here we go and have fun reading and reviewig of course. **_

_**Bye and thanks to everyone.**_

_**Focuser**_

* * *

**Chapter One: The Books arrive**

It was Christmas and Alexandra Potter was in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place twelve of her godfather and guardian Sirius Black. She just got informed that after the Christmas holidays she was going to have Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape. The two men were staring at each other with their wands raised. All of sudden their was a bright light in the kitchen and all three of them were in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. Snape, Sirius and Alex were not the only people who appeared. Alex pulled her wand as well out of her pocket and looked carefully around the room.

"Alex, come behind me pup", Sirius told her worriedly.

Alex did as she was told and recognized Remus , Nymphadora, all the Weasley's, Kingsley, Moody, Neville, Malfoy Hermione, Remus, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Luna.

"What happened? What are we doing all here?", asked Alex after she hugged Remus.

"How is this even possible? I was doing my essay about Vampires and suddenly I am here. ?", Hermione asked and turned to Dumbledore.

"Don't know.", Alex said and shrugged.

"Ms. Potter, If I may interrupt, I think this letter which I just received will explain everything.", Dumbledore said and handed her the letter.

Alex flinched at his words. He was looking over her shoulder. Great he's still ignoring me. Did he just call me "Ms. Potter"? Normally she always was "Alex" to him. Alex wondered but still started reading the text.

_Dear Everyone!_

_We're sorry that we kind of kidnapped you, and of course this will come as a shock to you, but we're from the future. We just sent you seven different books, all of them are about the seven years in Alex' years in Hogwarts. _

_We wanted to change some events that happen in the future and hope, in this way, to prevent some deaths that will unfortunately happen in the war. _

_Yes, we won the war against Voldemort, but still we lost a lot of our family members and it is very hard for us. And I'm sorry Alex, but they are also from your point of view, so please don't curse my present-self. It is also important that nobody judges peoples until you finished ALL of the books._

_Hope this plan works, _

_Yours truly,_

_Hermione and Ron_

_P.S.: We made in our second year Polyjuice Potion in Myrtle's bathroom._

She didn't read the last sentence to save herself and her friends from a lot of trouble and sat heavily between Remus and Sirius. "I still don't want to read this books!", Alex said and turned her head to Hermione and Ron and glared at them.

"What?", Ron exclaimed "Alex we can't control what happened in the future, besides our future selves said the book will come very handy"

"Great all my thought and things I did are open to the world. More attention. That's all I need now.", Alexandra said bitterly.

"Sorry pup, but I think there's no other way out of this", Sirius said and squeezed her shoulder slightly.

"We probably should introduced ourselves.", Dumbledore suggested.

"Well I'm Albus Dumbledore."

"Minerva McGonagall"

"Nymphadora Tonks, just call me Tonks."

"Kingsley Shacklebolt"

"Sirius Black"

"Remus Lupin"

"Alex Potter"

"Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody"

"Hermione Granger"

"Ron Weasley"

"Ginny Weasley"

"Draco Malyfoy"

"Fred Weasley,"

"George Weasley"

"Percy Weasley"

"Charlie Weasley"

"Bill Weasley"

"Molly Weasley"

"Arthur Weasley"

"Luna Lovegood"

"Neville Longbottom"

They settled themselves in a circle and opened the first book. Dumbledore started. **"Alexandra Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."**

Alex groaned and leaned her head against Sirius shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2: The Girl Who Lived

**DISCLAIMER: I AM OBVIOUSLY NOT JKR; OTHERWISE SIRIUS, REMUS, tONKS AND FRED WOULD HAVE NEVER DIED. EVERY RIGHT BELONGS TO HER, THIS IS HER WORK, WORLD, THOSE ARE HER CHARACTERS AND ALSO HER STORY. I AM NOT MAKING ANY MONEY OUT OF THIS FANFICTION!**

_**So guys, you've been waiting for the next chapter and here it comes. I hope you enjoy as much reading it as I did writing :)**_

_**Thanks for my Followers, for all those who marked this story as a Favourite and also my Reviewer. **_

_**I love every one of you guys.**_

_**Pplease make sure to leave a comment when you finished reading.**_

_**BYE**_

_**Focuser **_

* * *

**Chapter One: The Girl who lived**

**"The girl who lived**" Dumbledore read. Alex groaned again and Sirius and Remus smiled fondly at her.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that**

**they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"You are very welcome", said the twins in unison and grinned.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange**

**or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

Alex rolled her eyes and snorted. The others in the room looked at her and she just said,"Later, guys."

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Gunrunnings, which made**

**drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a**

**very large moustache.**

"How very handsome he sounds. Too bad he's already married.", Ginny said sarcastically

"Don't worry Gin. If you want to, I'll arrange a date with Dudley. He's really he's father's son and I think he'll like you very much, too.", Alex grinned, a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes. Hermione, Ron and the others all laughed as Ginny got green and then throw a pillow at her friend. Alex caught it with her free hand and grinned again.

"Damn seeker skills.", she mumbled

"You are really your father's daughter Lex.", whispered Remus in her ear, a smile on his lips.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount**

**of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning**

**over garden fences, spying on the neighbours**

Alex rolled her eyes "Really that woman spies everyone"

**The Dursley's had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was**

**no finer boy anywhere.**

The Weasley twins, Ron and Alex burst out laughing.

"Finer boy?"

"Small?"

"That doesn't sound like the Dudley I know", finished Fred and George together.

**The Dursley's had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and**

**their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think**

**they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters**

"Hey! What about the Potters?", Sirius cried.

"They are perfectly normal!", Remus growled.

"Thank you.", Alex whispered at her honorary uncle and godfather and cuddled closer to them.

Snape just snorted and caused all of them to glare at him.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several**

**years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

"That's awful! Why does she do that?", asked Mrs. Weasley. "Alex?"

She just shrugged and Dumbledore continued reading.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as**

**unDursleyish**

"Dad wasn't a "Good-for-nothing-husband!", Alex glared at the book.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursley's shuddered to think what the**

**neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursley's knew**

**that the Potters had a small daughter, too, but they had never even seen her.**

**This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't**

**want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"HEY! Don't insult my goddaughter you-you", Sirius started.

"It's okay, Siri.", Alex said to him and looked at her lap.

"Don't worry, cub, your dad didn't want you to mixed with their son anyway!", Remus smiled at her.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story**

**starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that**

**strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the**

**country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"His most boring tie? Why does he pick his most bring tie?", Ron asked curiously

"Because my dear friend for the most boring job, everyone needs the most boring tie.", Alex explained like it was the most normal thing in the world and smirked.

"Yeah...yeah that makes sense."

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming**

**Dudley into his high chair.**

"He doesn't change much" Alex narrated and shared a smile with Hermione.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

Sirius sighed and said, " It is that day." Alex nodded sadly and cuddled closer to Sirius. He pulled her to him and the headmaster continued reading.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs.**

**Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because**

**Dudley was now having a tantrum**

"Another thing that don't really change much."

**and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

"He is encouraging him?! That's not the way to raise a child.!", Mrs. Weasley shouted.

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's**

**drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of**

**something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"Professor? Is that you?", Alex wondered.

"What should she do in Privet Drive. It is just a cat, Alex.", Ron argued.

"The book said "a cat reading a map", Ron! How many cats do you know, who read a map?"

"I bet one galleon that's it's not McGonnagal"

"Okay. But don't you dare cry when you lose again.", Alex grinned

"I didn't cry!"

"You were!", Alex chuckled

"I wasn't!"

"You were!"

"I wasn't!"

"You were ! Like a baby Ron!"

"I wa-"

"Kids!", Mrs. Weasley warned and they stopped.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked**

**his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner**

**of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been**

**thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and**

**stared at the cat. It stared back.**

Alex and the twins shared a look. They were knowing that it was McGonnagal.

**As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and**

**up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign**

**that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or**

**signs.**

"Unless it is an animagus", Alex said towards Ron and laughed.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As**

**he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he**

**was hoping to get that day**

"Drills, drills drills,honestly doesn't he think of something else, Alex.", Hermione snapped, knowing that she wasn't treated very well at her "home".

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something**

**else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing**

**that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in**

**cloaks.**

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes **

"What's wrong with cloaks? They're perfectly normal, thank you very much-", Ron snapped at the book.

"Cloaks aren't usual for Muggles, though Ron. They never were them. At the first sight they always seem strange, I also thought they looked weird because I wasn't used to them.", Alex explained.

Ron just nodded.

— **the**

**getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new**

**fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a**

**huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering**

**excitedly together.**

"They're acting really curious.", Charlie said.

"We almost were discovered.", McGonagall shook her head in disbelief.

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all;**

**why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green**

**cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was**

**probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for**

**something… yes, that would be it.**

"It's interesting to know how Muggles react when they actually see magic", Mr. Weasley said happily.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the**

**Gunrunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"What a surprise, really", Ginny rolled her eyes at Alex' uncle.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the**

**ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on**

**drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight,**

**though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed**

**as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"What? Why?", Ron asked.

"Muggles aren't supposed to see owls Ron. They are normally nocturnal. Even then Muggles rarely see them.", Alex explained and Remus looked at her proudly.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley,**

**however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five**

**different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a**

**bit more.**

"How funny and nice he sounds", Bill chuckled

"Sadly this is really his idea of fun.", Alex said.

"Does he really shouted that often Alex?", he asked shocked.

"Oh yes. He could rival Mad-Eye with the whole yelling thing.", she laughed and everyone joined in.

"_Potter_!", Mad-Eye growled.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch**

**his legs and walk**

"HE DID WHAT? HE LITERALLY WENT FOR A WALK?", Alex shouted in disbelief

"THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!", Ron, the twins and Alex yelled together.

"Sensitive hearing here guys", Remus said and covered his ears. "Sorry there Remus"

"Sorry uncle Remus.", Alex whispered so just he could hear her.

"Uncle Remus?", his eyes wide.

Alex shrugged. "Well you're like my uncle. Don't you like it?", she asked unsure.

Remus just hugged her tight in response and Alex smiled widely. "It's perfect cub."

**across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Oh okay. This makes sense. False alarm, the world is good again, sorry guys.", Alex said. Everyone bar Snape, Malfoy and Percy laughed.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of**

**them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know**

**why, but they made him uneasy.**

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single**

**collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut**

**in a bag,**

"This makes even more sense now", Ron laughed along with everyone.

**that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"**

**" — yes, their daughter, Alex —"**

Alex flinched and cuddled closer to Sirius and hid her head in his shoulder. Sirius hugged her tight and whispered comforting words in her ear.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"YES!", Fred and George shouted.

"Boys, it is just a saying. It doesn't mean he's really dead, you know.", Hermione explained and their stopped shouting.

"Way to ruin the best moment Mione.", Alex said and Hermione just pocked her tongue out at her and they both laughed.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say**

**something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his**

**secretary not to disturb him, and seized his telephone,**

Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to ask but Hermione interrupted him. "If you make a list with all the things you don't understand, we'll explain them to you Mr. Weasley."

Alex nodded and Mr. Weasley started writing excited.

**and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his**

**mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking…**

"Wow, that's a first", Alex said with a fake surprise.

**no, he was being stupid.**

**"**Wow, he's actually admitting it.", Alex joked.

"The very first step to recovery.", Fred said.

"Nicely said, my dear brother.", George said.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name**

"Really?", Sirius wondered and looked at Alex. She was still cuddling next to him and he smiled down at her.

"No not really. It is actually quite common with Black".

"WHAT?", Sirius said laughing. "Merlin, my mother would be rolling in her grave."

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter**

**called Alex. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called**

**Alex.**

"Please tell me he know your name now.", Mrs. Weasley begged.

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley, don't know for sure."

**He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Andrea. Or Antoinette**

"Antoinette? Who the hell is called Antoinette?", Alex laughed.

"Lex, language!", Remus reminded her.

"Sorry uncle Moony.", she said and tried to look innocent. He then smiled at her.

"Hey wait.", Ron nearly shouted. "Why are these two" he pointed at Sirius and Remus," allowed to call you "Lex or Lexi.?"

"Because I'm allowed to call them Siri and Remy", she winked as Remus and Sirius started laughing.

"Imagine, Antoinette Potter the girl who lived.", Fred said. Alex glared at him and he stopped.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at**

**any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like**

**that…**

"What about your sister you whale?", Alex muttered under her breath so nobody could understand her.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when**

**he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked**

**straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted**

"Hear hear, he does know that word."

"Un-"

"Believable", The twins finished together.

**as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before**

**Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem**

**at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face**

**split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky**

Suddenly it clicked in Alex mind and she said, "Is it just me or could it be Flit wick?"she asked amused.

"Now that I think of it", Remus said thoughtfully. "He could it be, yes."

**voice that made passersby**

**stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today!**

**Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself**

**should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

Alex looked down. Sure it was great that Voldemort was gone but she lost her parents. "It had a very heavy price with it, though.", Alex whispered and blinked her tears away.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"His arms...fit?", Charlie laughed.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete**

**stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.**

**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was**

**imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't**

**approve of imagination**

"Oh please how can someone not approve of imagination?" Ginny snapped.

Sirius looked sadly at his goddaughter and whispered. "I'm so sorry Lexi."

"It's not your fault, Siri really. Don't blame yourself."

But he just hugged her tight and placed a kiss on her head.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and**

**it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"It's Minnie!", Sirius and Remus shouted together and McGonnagal glared at them.

"Minnie?", Alex asked confused.

"I'll explain later, cub.", Remus said and Alex smiled at her nickname.

"Don't you dare, you two! I don't need another Potter calling me that!", McGonnagal said, her lips thin as two lines.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it**

**had the same markings around its eyes.**

**"**See Ron. Prepare your galleon."

**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"NO!", Ron shouted. "It is Professor McGonnagal!"

Alex just grinned.

**Was this normal cat behaviour?**

"Not but it is normal Minnie behaviour.!", Sirius smirked.

"Minnie!", the twins shouted also and McGonagall groaned.

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into**

**the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

"This is how marriage is supposed to work. The women has the pants on.", Mrs. Weasley said and Mr. Weasley nodded sadly causing all the youth and Sirius to laugh. Remus and Dumbledore just chuckled

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all**

**about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had**

**learned a new word ("Shan't!").**

"One of their proudest moments in their life.", Alex said with a straight face.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he**

**went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening**

**news:**

_**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's**_

_**owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt**_

_**at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of**_

_**sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are**_

_**unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping**_

_**pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now,**_

_**over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of**_

_**owls tonight, Jim?"**_

_**"Well, Ted,"**_

**__**"Hey that's my dad!", Tonks shouted happily and Remus looked at her. He then realized that he was staring at her and blushed. Nobody but Alex noticed and she laughed.

"What is it pup?", Sirius asked and Remus looked worried. He didn't want everyone to know that he, a werewolf, liked Tonks.

"Nothing Siri."

Her godfather shrugged and waited for Dumbledore to read on.

"Thanks Lex.", Alex heard Remus whispering in her ear.

She just turned to him, smiled and and whispered back. "It's okay uncle remmy. Besides, she likes you too. You would be a sweet couple."

Remus just smiled sadly.

_**said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls**_

_**that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire,**_

_**and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I**_

_**promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps**_

_**people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week,**_

_**folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**_

_**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain?**_

**Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And**

**a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"That's not good! Even he is putting things together!", Mr. Weasley said.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!", Mad-Eye shouted.

"Yes but he technically knew about magic...", Alex said.

"True.", Mr. Weasley smiled at her.

_**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no**_

**good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.**

**"Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

_**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**_

_**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars…**_

**and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know…**

**her crowd."**

"Her crowd?", Bill asked. "What is that supposed to mean.

"He means Witches and Wizards", Hermione explained sadly.

In the meantime Alex was worried about the reaction they were going to have when they found out how they treat her.

_**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered**_

**whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he**

**didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter — she'd**

**be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's her name again? Andrea, isn't it?"**

**"Alexandra;**

"Such a pretty name, dear. Don't understand why you don't want to be called that, Alex", Mrs. Weasley said.

"You don't like your name?", Remus asked surprised.

"No no. It's not like I don't like it, really. But every time someone calls me Alexandra it makes me feel like I'm in trouble.", she said and smiled at McGonnagal

"It's your fault Ms. Potter If you would cause so much trouble this wouldn't happen!"

_**or Alex, as they call her. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**_

"It's not! It's a beautiful name.", Sirius shouted.

"Your son is called DUDLEY! What about him you pig!", Ginny hissed.

"GINERVA! Watch your language."

"Guys, it's ok really.", Alex sighed.

_**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**_

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed.**

**While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom**

**window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It**

**was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something**

"Who are you waiting for Professor?", Hermione asked.

"You shall see Ms. Granger"

_**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the**_

**Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he**

**didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursley's got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr.**

**Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting**

**thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved,**

**there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The**

**Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their**

**kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything**

**that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect**

**them…**

_**How very wrong he was.**_

Alex sighed deeply and looked again down at her lap. Remus and Sirius gave her supporting hugs and kissed her on her head.

_**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on**_

**the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a**

**statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't**

**so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when**

**two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat**

**moved at all.**

"You're very patient Professor. I could never do that!", Tonks chuckled

"Patience is something you need when you teach, especially troublemakers", McGonnagal explained and glared at Sirius and Remus, the twins and then at the trio.

_**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so**_

**suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall,**

**thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were**

**both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple**

**cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes**

**were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose**

**was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Bet it's Dumbledore Ron?", Alex asked cheekily

Her best friend just glared at her and she laughed.

_**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**_

Every teenager in the room cheered bar Malfoy and Alex. Dumbledore saw this ans sighed sadly. He knew it was because he ignored her.

_**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a**_

**street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

"Oh I knew, I just didn't care", the headmaster chuckled with the famous twinkle in his eyes.

_**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did**_

**seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the**

**cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some**

**reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and**

**muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a**

**silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked**

**it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"WOW", Ron shouted. "I want one.", he said excited.

_**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times**_

**he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were**

**two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching**

**him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs.**

**Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on**

**the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and**

**set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall**

**next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.**

"I KNEW IT!", Alex shouted. Sirius chuckled and Remus just shook his head.

"Oh no!", Ron moaned. He started searching in his pockets for money, "Alex er...I"

She just rolled her eyes and said,"It's okay Ron." He blushed bright red.

"Really?"

"Yes..", she grinned.

"Thank you mate, your the best.", he grinned back and the adults in the room rolled their eyes.

"Ron, when you bet you should have the money! Not everyone is as nice about this as Alex!", Bill explained to his youngest brother and caused him to turn read.

_**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at**_

**a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the**

**shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was**

**wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun.**

**She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor**

**McGonagall****_._**

_**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a**_

**dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd**

**think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed**

**something's going on. It was on their news."**

"That caused a lot of problems in the ministry.", Mr. Weasley sighed.

_**She jerked her head back at the Dursley's' dark living-room window. "I**_

**heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely**

**stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent**

**- 21 -**

**I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"Oh come on Professor, he's a really funny guy, I like him.", Alex said beaming.

McGonnagal gave her a rare smile and said, "Your father used to say that, too."

Alex smiled at her and Snape's face hardened.

_**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious**_

**little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"That's a long time.", Sirius sighed and thought of Azkaban. His eyes became glassy. His goddaughter saw his look on his face and cuddled with him and hugged him around his waist. "Don't think about that Sirius. You're not there anymore."

He nodded and looked at her with a small smile and said, "Did you know that your dad wanted you to be a cuddler? He always said you'll be a daddy's girl."

Alex hugged him tighter and smiled as Sirius placed a kiss on her temple.

_**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason**_

**to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in**

**broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

Alex shuddered and looked down again.

_**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping**_

**he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine**

**thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have**

**disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really**

**has gone, Dumbledore?"**

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.**

"Not for a long time anyway", she mumbled. Remus rubbed her back as she rubbed her forearm, where still a scar from last year was.

"He's not back!", hissed Percy.

"Just wait and see Perce."

"Don't call me that, Potter!"

_**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**_

**"A what?"**

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"Typical Dumbledore", Kingsley said.

_**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't**_

**think this was the moment for sherbet lemon.**

"It wasn't!",McGonnagal said angry

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by**

**his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been**

**trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort.**_**"**

_**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two**_

**sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep**

**saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of**

**saying Voldemort's name." **

"Thank you", Alex shouted with raised arms. Dumbledore chuckled, but looked in the other direction.

"So that's where you got it from? All your lectures about saying "You-Know-Who's" name?", Ron asked.

"Yep", Alex nodded and popped the 'p'.

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall,**

**sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone**

**knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort,**

A number of people in the room flinched as well.

"For Merlin's sake, it is just a name. It's not even real!", Alex said and rolled her eyes.

"Playing the hero again, eh Potter?", Draco hissed at her.

"I'm not playing the hero Malfoy, besides I can't remember anyone asking you for your opinion!", she glared back at him.

"Ms. Potter, Mr. Malfoy I want you two to behave!", McGonnagal said sternly.

_**was frightened of."**_

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will**

**never have."**

"Only because you're too noble to use them, Professor!", Hermione answered. Dumbledore chuckled as he read the next line.

_**"Only because you're too — well —noble to use them."**_

Everyone was laughing. "Mione is like Minnie", Alex said.

"Potter! Don't you dare call me that!", she said, still a small smile was on her face.

_**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told**_

**me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"ARGH to much information Professor!", the twins shouted together.

_**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The**_

**owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what**

**they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped**

**him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most**

**anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall**

**all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with**

**such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone"**

**was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was**

**true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did**

**not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned**

**up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters.**

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

Everyone in the room bar Snape and Malfoy were looking down. Alex found herself pale and tear running silently down her cheeks. Hermione was in front of her and pulled her in a hug, where she continued crying lightly.

Sirius came over to them, "It's okay Hermione, let me.", he said quietly. Alex launched herself at her godfather, who held her tight. "I'm so sorry pup.".

Remus walked over as well and hugged her.

_**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**_

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh,**

**Albus…"**

"I didn't know you cared so much Professor", Alex said silently.

"Your father and his friends caused me a lot of grey hairs, nevertheless he was very talented and a great person. That's something you picked up from him. As well as Defence Against the dark arts. Your mouther was excellent in Potions, Runes and Archimency. ", McGonnagal said.

"You're good in Transfiguration and DADA Alex?", Bill asked.

"I'm good", she shrugged.

"Good? Good grief Alex you're brilliant, how many other 13 year olds could produce a corporal patronus?", Remus said, looking at her proudly.

_**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I**_

**know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all.**

**They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Alexandra.**

"When are you going to tell me the reason, Professor?", Alex asked Dumbledore who stared at the book while he answered. "When the right time it here, Ms. Potter"

The ones who knew about the prophecy shared a quick look and Dumbledore continued reading.

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how,**

**but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Alexandra Potter, Voldemort's**

**power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

"Prongslet you're officially my favourite goddaughter.", Sirius joked and Remus hit him in the ribs and caused Alex to giggle.

_**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**_

**"It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all**

**the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding… of**

**all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Alexandra**

**survive?"**

"We all want to know that.", Charlie said and earned a glare from his mouther.

_**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**_

Alex snorted, "Sure, I bet he already knew." Dumbledore heard her and chuckled but still didn't look at her.

_**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her**_

**eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a**

**golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It**

**had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving**

**around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because**

**he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who**

**told you I'd be here, by the way?**

_**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell**_

**me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Alexandra to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family**

**she has left now."**

"Please don't do that!", Alex groaned to herself.

_"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried_

Professor McGonagall,

"Why doesn't she like it there, sure she was spoilt to rotten, the famous Potter", Draco and Snape thought.

_**jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you**_

**can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are**

**less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the**

**way up the street, screaming for sweets. Alexandra Potter come and live here!"**

"Thanks for trying, Professor. I really appreciate it. Somehow I know this won't work", Alex said with a bitter smile.

_**"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle**_

**will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them**

**a letter."**

"A LETTER?",Mrs Weasley shouted. "How can you explain something like this in a letter, Dumbledore?!"

Dumbledore didn't say anything and ignored the glares he got from McGonnagal, Sirius, Remus and Mrs. Weasley.

_**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on**_

**the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

**These people will never understand her! She'll be famous — a legend — I**

**wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Alexandra Potter day in the future**

"Oh Merlin please tell me it's not, is it?", Alex moaned.

"The paper got destroyed in the ministry before we could settle it in."

"Thanks god for that.", she said happily.

"You mean thanks Fred and George for that", the twins winked at her.

"It was you?", Alex beamed at them "I love you guys!".

Remus and Sirius chuckled

— **_there will be books written about Alex — every child in our world will_**

**know her name!"**

"Unfortunately", Alex grumbled. Snape and Malfoy, both snapped their heads in disbelief "The Potter brat doesn't like the attention. Sure it is a trick. She's exactly like her father", Snape thought.

_**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his**_

**half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous**

**before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even**

**remember!**

"I wish", she grumbled again very quietly. But Remus header her and rubbed her back in comfort.

_**Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that**_

**until she's ready to take it?"**

"Oh now I can see where he's coming from. Especially with a father and godfather like that.", he laughed.

"Hey!", protested Sirius but Alex chuckled loudly

_**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind**_

"NO! Come on, Professor!", Alex groaned disappointed.

"Not everyone is as stubborn as you Ms. Potter!", McGonnagal said with a straight face.

Alex blushed mumbled quietly "I'm not that bad" and rubbed her head. McGonnagal saw this ans her lips twitched lightly, this was such a James Potter thing to do.

_**, swallowed,**_

**and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course.**

"Pff", Alexandra rolled her eyes but stopped immediately when her Transfiguration Professor sent her a glare.

"He's right my arse", she whispered quietly to herself so nobody could hear her but she forgot about Remus sensitive hearing.

"ALEXANDRA POTTER!", he shouted and looked at her sternly.

"What did she say Moony?", Sirius asked with narrowed eyes.

His friend ignored him and spoke again to his 'niece'. "I don't want to you to say that ever again, are we clear?"

"Yes, Remus, I'm sorry.", she said honestly. Of course she wasn't happy at the moment with her headmasters actions but she didn't want to upset Remus or Sirius either. She sent Remus a quick apologetic smile and he mentioned Dumbledore to read.

**But how is the girl getting**

**here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he**

**might be hiding Alex underneath it.**

_**"Hagrid's bringing her."**_

**"You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as**

**this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." Alex said fast.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"ÁWWWW Lexi's like the headmaster! Lexi's like the headmaster!", Fred and George started singing but were stopped from pillows which Sirius and Remus had thrown at them.

"Thank you.", Alex smiled at her uncle and godfather.

_**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor**_

**McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does**

**tend to — what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew**

**steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a**

**headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a**

**huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Wait. Hang on a second", everyone looked at Alex bar Dumbledore. "It wasn't just a dream. The flying motorcycle is real?", she asked amazed.

"You remember?", Sirius asked grinning.

"Yes, I dreamed about it. I thought it just was a dream and not a memory."

Sirius started smiling more, "Sometimes Lily and James flooed me in the middle of the night because you wouldn't sleep. Then I took you on my motorcycle and everytime we we in the air you felt asleep. It was sometimes the only way to get you to sleep. Well this or Moony reading you bedtime stories", Sirius narrated.

She looked and Remus who was smiling and blushed brightly and hid her face in Sirius shoulder.

"Professor please continue.", she begged.

_**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He**_

**was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He**

**looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy**

**black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can**

**lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast,**

**muscular arms**

"The description makes him sounds scary, but Hagrid's really nice and kind, well unless he's angry.", Alex chuckled

_**he was holding a bundle of blankets.**_

"Aw there is baby lexi again.", Ron said.

"Don't call me that Ron.", Alex glared at her friend. "Well unless you want to be called Ronniekins", she grinned.

"It's just Alex then!", Ron shouted anxiously.

_**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you**_

**get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing**

**carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me.**

"That's me!", Sirius shouted happily.

Remus rolled his eyes at his best friend and then said to Alex, "You know Lex, Sirius here really loved you, nobody, neither me or Sirius were allowed to take his bike."

Sirius sighed, "That's true, but when I came to your house and saw Hagrid holding you I couldn't believe my eyes. You just looked at me with your big eyes I took you and you immediately stopped crying. But when Hagrid said that Dumbledore found you the best place to live and also to be protected the best I-", Sirius stopped and looked at his lap, sighing deeply,"-I gave you Hagrid and you started again crying loudly. That's why I gave him my motorcycle. I knew that it always relaxed you and you loved it."

Sirius sent his goddaughter a small smile and she leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder.

**I've got her, sir.**

_**"No problems, were there?"**_

**"No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before**

**the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we were flyin' over**

**Bristol."**

"Awww", now everyone has joined in. Expect Snape, Malfoy and Percy Alex hid her face again in Sirius arms and he laughed at his goddaughter. He still was cooeing her and she mumbled "Traitor!" so he could hear her.

_**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of**_

**blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep.**

"I bet you were a cute baby.", Ginny said and caused Alex to blush again.

"Oh she was! I have some nice picture of her, I'll show you if you want", Remus said with a mischievous glint in his amber eyes.

"NO Please don't!", she shouted.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her and she showed him her best "puppy-dog-eyes" and pouted. "Please uncle Moony?", she asked innocently.

Remus sighed deep and grinned but shook his head. "How can you say no to this eyes, Moony.", Sirius asked.

"I had lots of practise when I taught her.", Alex' ex-professor said.

Talking of DADA Alex remembered Umbridge, or how she was used to call her Umbitch or the pinky-taod-face, and groaned. "I wish you could still teach us Remus..you're the best teacher we ever had."

Remus sent her a sad smile and said. "You know that it's not possible Alex because-"

"Nobody cares that every full moon you turn into a werewolf, Remus! Really! I mean the Gryffindor's, Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's they all don't care and who cares what the Slytherin's think?"

"Very true, pup", Sirius winked.

"Alex cub I can't -"

"BESIDES", Alex started again and ignored Remus' last comment. "You can't be loved by everyone. It's the destiny of a teacher. No matter how good, nice competent you really are, there will be always someone you doesn't like you. Look, Professor McGonagall is a great Professor but there still some who doesn't like the way she's strict – sorry Professor – I am hated by the Slytherin's, they only like me in first year because I ruined the chance to win the house coup. But then all the other houses hated me. Hermione here is hated by these stupid, idiotic, ignorant, selfish, '' pure-blood'' Slytherin's just because she's a Muggleborn. AND it would be the perfect chance to show that not all werewolfs are...well like Greyback. You could show them all that there also very nice, lovely and intelligent werewolfs, couldn't you?"

"Alex I got your point, how about I think about it? Are you're happy then?", Remus smiled gently at her.

Alex sighed and said "You really think about it? You're not saying this just because you want me to stop getting on your nerves?."

Remus smiled again at her, "Promise".

"Alright that's a start.", she sighed again.

_**Under a tuft of red hair over her forehead they could see a curiously**_

**shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

_**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**_

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."**

"Great", Alex said sarcastically

_**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**_

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself**

**above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Really Sir?", Fred asked.

"Yes Mr. Weasley, indeed.", the headmaster chuckled

_**Well — give her here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**_

**Dumbledore took Alexandra in his arms and turned toward the Dursley's'**

**house.**

**"Could I — could I say good-bye to her sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his**

**great, shaggy head over Alex and gave her what must have been a very**

**scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a**

**wounded dog.**

"HEY! Don't insult my godfather!", Alex shouted at the book and grinned. Sirius laughed loud together with the trio and Remus.

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and**

**burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an'**

**poor little Alex off ter live with Muggles —"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be**

**found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the**

**arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the**

**front door. He laid Alex gently on the doorstep,**

"YOU LET MY GODDAUGHTER ON THE DOORSTEP!?", Sirius asked in rage. Everyone else was also shocked and angry, of course except Snape and Malfoy. Percy didn't say anything but he looked rather red with anger.

**took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Alex' blankets, and then**

**came back to the other two.**

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle;**

**Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the**

**twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have**

**gone out.**

**"**That's not good", Ron whispered to Hermione and she blushed.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying**

**here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

It was Remus turn to glare at his headmaster "Join the celebrations?", he whispered furiously.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away.**

**G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto**

**the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the**

**air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore,**

**nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he**

**stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve**

**balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed**

**suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the**

**corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of**

**blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Alexandra," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish**

**of his cloak, he was gone.**

"Thanks Professor, I think I really need it.", Alex mumbled into Sirius chest and he wrapped an arm around her.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy**

**under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things**

**to happen. Alex Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up.**

"You did that even as a baby!", Ron rolled his eyes.

"How do you know that", Remus and Sirius asked.

"You better not-" Sirius started furiously but McGonnagal started to explain.

"Ms. Potter sleeps in the Boys-dormitory. I asked her for a favour, and she offered her bed for a girl who needed it."

"Professor you can't let my goddaughter sleep in a room full of BOYS!", Sirius argued.

"She can't sleep there do you even know what could possibly happen?", Remus said with narrowed eyes.

"Siri, really. You don't need to worry."

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black I assure you that Ms. Potter is completely safe. There's no need to worry I protected her bed with charms so no boy can even near it."

"That's true. I just wanted to sat with her and play chess but I couldn't move was suddenly thrown around the whole room", Ron said.

"You better have "just wanted to play chess" ", growled Sirius and pulled Alexandra closer to him. The girl just blushed. She wasn't used to someone worrying about her and being so protective like Remus and Sirius.

**One small hand closed on the letter**

"You always needed something to have in your hand to sleep. When you were a baby you had a small stag, dog and werewolf.", Remus told her happily.

"Yeah.. I remember that. For some reason you always hated the rat and to be hold by Peter. When you started talking you always screamed when Peter hold you. As soon as he took you – which was very rare – you cried "PAFOO" , "DADDY", "MUMMY" or "MOOEY".", Sirius laughed along with Remus while Alex blushed lightly.

"MOOEY? PAFOO?", Ron laughed at her friend.

Sirius explained "She couldn't spell Padfoot or Moony right. I still can't believe that your first word wasn't Padfoot or Sirius or Siri or Paddi" Alex' godfather mock huffed playfully and crossed his arms.

"Ahh poor baby.",Alex cooed and rubbed his back. "But anyway. What was my first word?", she asked interested.

Sirius and Remus grinned at each other.

"I was betting 100 galleons that it would be Sirius, Siri, Paddi or Padfoot."

"And I was betting that it would be Remus, Moony or Remy", Remus said.

"And who won?", Alex laughed.

Sirius sighed deeply and crunched his chest where his heart was. "Nobody. You said your first word while the order had a meeting." Sirius started.

"Then I kind of called someone an "greasy git" and you looked at me with your big eyes and laughed "gweasy git"

Everyone started laughing.

"It wasn't funny at all!", Sirius screamed. "Lily's temper burst and she started hexing me like mad!"

But the others laughed harder then before and Sirius cracked a grin, too.

When everyone in the room calmed down again Remus said. "We all decided to ignore it and to give you a "second chance" with you first word. Lily calmed down and hit your dad and Sirius because they were grinning."

Alex laughed and said. "Okay so what was my second "first word" ?"

"You said your second "first word" when you saw James the first time after a whole week he worked for the order. You were missing him really badly and when he came home you looked at him and cried "Daddy"", Remus smiled at her.

"oho how sweet", Hermione and Ginny said and Alex smiled lightly at the stories.

**beside her and she slept on, not**

**knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she**

**would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened**

**the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next**

**few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley…**

"Bloody Idiot", Alex whispered.

"Alexandra!"

"Sorry Uncle Remus.", she said.

**She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all**

**over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices:**

**"To Alexandra Potter — the girl who lived!"**

"That was the first chapter.", Dumbledore said. "Who wants to be next?"

"I'll read on.", Hermione said.

"Surprising", Ron and Alex said in unison, then looked at each other and high-fived.

"Stop it you two."

_**Great now that you read it, leave a review :D Please guys, it would make my day :D**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Vanashing Glass

_**Hello Everyone :D **_

_**Thank you for reading the fanfic, I really appreciate it. Enjoy the next chapter and please leave a review and tell me wheter you liked it or not.**_

_**Bye **_

_**Focuser xx**_

Chapter two: The Vanishing Glass

"The Vanishing Glass", Hermione began.

Alex flinched visibly and remembered what had happened. How are Sirius and Remus going to react when they find out that she's a Parselmouth. How will they react when they know how the Dursley's treated her?

She was worried and didn't know what to do, so she just pulled herself away from Sirius. He looked at her surprised and then saw her face.

"Are you okay pup?"

She just nodded and looked at the floor not noticing the look of hurt on her godfathers face.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursley's had woken up to find their**

**niece on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun**

**rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the**

**Dursley's' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost**

**exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that**

**fateful news report about the owls.**

"How boring they sound. How could you survive there Alex? Did you even have fun at all?", Charlie asked. Alex didn't answer. Her face was hard and her eyes still focused on the floor.

"We would have died there!", Fred and George said thinking of their house. It wasn't perfect and they didn't have enough money, but it never got boring there.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time**

**had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked**

**like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

Everyone laughed at the description of Dudley as a baby.

— **but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs**

**showed a large **

"Large isn't the right word. More like gigantic.", Ron spoke.

Alex nodded, "I think even that is an understatement!"

"Is he really that fat?", Mrs. Weasley said, sounding worried. Alex pulled a face at the imagine of her cousin in her mind and said, "You don't have a idea, Mrs. Weasley."

**blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair,**

**playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his**

**mother. **

"More like attacked", Alex giggled between Remus and Sirius who were happy to see her in a good mood.

**The room held no sign at all that another child lived in the house,**

**too.**

"Where are you pup?", Sirius asked gently. All of sudden Alex cuddled again next to Sirius and he wrapped his arms around her. "Lexi are you okay, Prongslet?"

"Just read on Mione."

**Yet Alexandra Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long.**

**Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first**

**noise of the day.**

"Nice way to start a day." Ron said. "Hey it rhymes!"

"That has been known to happen, Ron", Hermione said with a frown on her face.

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Alex woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Give her a second",, Mrs. Weasley groaned.

**"Up!" she screeched.**

**Alex heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the**

**frying pan being put on the stove.**

Charlie frowned, "Is your room near the kitchen? I mean why can you hear that?"

Ron and the twins were thinking hard, while Alex didn't answer, "That doesn't make sense, how could you hear her from the second floor?"

Alex shivered uncomfortably in her seat and looked again just at the ground.

**She rolled onto her back and tried to**

**remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There**

**had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the**

**same dream before.**

Sirius smiled at this, remembering his bike.

**"Nearly," said Alex.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you**

**dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"They made you cook?", Mrs. Weasley shrilled. Alex nodded and looked at her lap.

"Since when?", Remus said in an deadly low voice.

"It's not important ,really Remus."

"Alex. How old were you when this idiots made you cook?", Sirius repeated his friends question.

Alex sighed, "Five. I think. But it wasn't that bad. Really Siri I actually enjoy cooking", He just looked ready to murder.

**Alex groaned.**

**"What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door.**

"Nothing you horse!", Mr. Weasley snapped.

**"Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could she have forgotten?**

"I think I just didn't want to remember.", she said quietly.

**Alex got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. Wincing as she**

**moved her bruised ribs.**

There was a dead silent.  
"Why were your ribs bruised kid?", asked Moody. All the others were looking at her. Remus and Sirius were both pale.

"Can't we just continue, guys.", she suggested hopefully.

"Alexandra why were your ribs bruised.", Sirius asked, for the first time using her full name. She looked down at her lap. "Alex look at me pup.", he lifted her chin gently with his finger and looked her in the eyes. "Did they ever...did they ever hit you Prongslet?", She looked again at her lap and a single tear escapes her eyes. Sirius immediately pulled her in a bone crashing hug.

"I'm so sorry. Lexi. So sorry."

"It's not your fault Padfoot.", she said and sat again at the couch. "Mione just continue." Hermione looked at her, her eyes glancing with tears. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Ron as well looked shocked.

"Come on, just read. I don't feel like talking about now."

"We'll talk about this later sweetheart.", Remus said. Snape couldn't believe that Alex had probably the same childhood he had.

Malfoy couldn't trust his ears anymore. Potter? Abused? That wasn't just right, he had always thought that especially she would be the one to have everything in her life she wanted.

**She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider**

Ron shuddered and the twins looked down in guilt. Alex, knowing what was

coming next decided to cling to Sirius.

**off one of them, put them on. Alex was used to spiders, because the**

**cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where she slept.**

The whole room again felt suddenly dead silent. Nobody spoke a single word. Everyone looked shocked, pale or angry.

"Hermione please read the last part again.", Sirius begged not trusting his own ears anymore. First the bruises now the cupboard?

"..._and that was where she slept_...oh Alex you should have told us.", Hermione whispered, unshed tears in her eyes. Called girl lifted her knees to her chest and looked at the floor.

Sirius closed his eyes in shock and horror. He didn't want to believe it, he couldn't believe it. How could someone do that to his pup? How could they treat her like that. Suddenly he jumped up from the couch together with Remus.

"I'm going to kill them. I'm so going to kill them.", they said together and run to the chimney. With their wands in their hands they made a fire but before they could go anywhere further Alex jumped in front of them.

"Sirius, Remus -"

"Alex, get out of the way, honey, they don't deserve something else", Remus growled and showed his werewolf side.

"I know they don't but-"

"Oh no ,not this time Prongslet, Dursley's a dead man!", Sirius said looking terrifying.

"Sirius please think about it", she begged desperately "If you do something then you're as good as again in Azkaban!"

"SO WHAT?", Sirius yelled, his anger this showing in his grey eyes.

"Siri, please.", Alex looked at his godfather "Please don't do it. I just don't want to loose you again. I know they don't deserve anything better but please don't do it", she turned to Remus. "I just got to know you too, don't let the Dursley's destroy that, alright, I don't want to loose you two.", she whispered. Sirius looked at her puzzled. In the next moment he pulled his wand again in his pocket and hugged her tight, as she thought she would disappear. After she had also hugged Remus, she took both men by their arms and pulled them on the couch. Alex sat between them and mentioned for Hermione to continue.

**When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table**

**was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as**

**though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the**

**second television and the racing bike.**

"Git", the twins said.

**"Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Alex, as Dudley**

**was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching**

**somebody.**

"That better not be you..", Remus growled.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Alex,**

Everyone looked ready to murder. Malfoy was paler than usual and Snape hid his emotions under a mask.

**but he couldn't often catch her. Alex didn't look it, but she was very fast.**

"That she is.", Ron said.

"I've never seen someone race like that.", Hermione said and Alex grinned sheepishly.

**She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she**

**had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times**

**bigger than she was. Alex had a thin and beautiful face, full pink lips,a small nose, long burgundy hair**

"There's Lily in you.", Sirius smiled.

**and very light hazel eyes.**

"And there's James.", everyone said.

**Her eyes always lit up when she was excited or happy**

"James was just the same", Remus smiled at her.

**but it didn't happen very often considering under which circumstances she lived.**

**Alexandra also wore round glasses **

"Not anymore!", she exclaimed happy.

**held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of**

**all the times Dudley had punched her on the nose. The only thing Alex liked the most about her own appearance was a very**

**thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"You actually liked your scar?", Ron wondered. Hermione also looked shocked

"That was before I knew the meaning of it.", her friend explained.

**She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she**

**could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it.**

"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.

"They said WHAT?", Sirius started yelling along with Remus, Mr. Weasley and McGonagall.

"How-how could they think that-that James and Lily Potter could die-"

"I can't believe it.-"

"Ok guys calm down. Sirius, Remus, calm down. I know it's not okay what they did but we can't change it now. And don't shout, you know Uncle Moony has a sensitive hearing.", she smiled at him.

**"And don't ask questions."**

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the**

**Dursley's.**

"Ms. Potter is that why you never ask for help in the lessons?",McGonagall said frowning.

"Y-you noticed?", Alex stuttered.

"Of course I did.", her Professor answered, "I just didn't know what to thing about it"

"Well it's a habit, and I broke it already so it's not that bad.", Alex responded

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Alex was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Nice greeting.", Ginny said.

"He's not that of a morning human, is he?"

Alex shook her head and laughed.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper**

**and shouted that Alex needed a haircut. Alex must have had more haircuts**

**difference, her hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

"POTTER HAIR!", Sirius shouted.

"Sirius shout up!", Remus moaned holding his ears.

"Sorry Moony."

**Alex was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his**

**mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not**

**much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly**

**on his thick, fat head.**

The twins sighed in awe and cooed."Awww. Handsome", they said together and everyone laughed at that.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Alex often**

**said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Nice one, Alex.", Charlie said.

"Lily's wit.", Remus smiled and Hermione continued.

**Alex put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as**

**there wasn't much room and as she tried to move her ribs as less as possible. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His**

**face fell.**

"What now you brat!", Tonks nearly yelled.

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less**

**than last year."**

"He's complaining. Even I don't get that much presents!", Draco spoke.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under**

**this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"Is she serious?", Hermione screamed.

"Hermione come on. How often did I tell you that he's my godfather", Alex said and pointed and Sirius. She tried to keep a straight face but grinned then.

"Alex please not you too.", Remus whined and Sirius and Alex high-fived each other.

"That's my girl!", he said happily.

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Alex, who**

**could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon**

**as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Don't choke, sweetheart.", Remus said and she smiled at her.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly,**

**"And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that,**

**popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

"Brat!", Bill hissed.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said**

**slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

**"Thirty nine, you idiot!", Alex whispered. **

"Please tell me they didn't hear you.!", Sirius whined.

"No, they didn't.", she calmed him.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right**

**then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy,**

**Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"That is not the way to parent!", Molly said.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it**

**while Alex and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a**

**video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a**

**VCR.**

Mr. Weasley was writing excited on his piece of paper.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came**

**back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take**

**her."**

**She jerked her head in Alex' direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Alex' heart gave a leap. Every year**

**on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to**

**adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Alex was**

**left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.**

"Why didn't they take you with them!?", Remus asked confused.

"It would have meant that I have fun, and I wasn't allowed to."

Sirius hugged her again. "You don't deserve this honey. I'm so sorry."

**Alex hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg**

**made her look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Alex don't be rude.", Hermione remembered her.

"Mione I can't change it anymore, this already happened."

"Yeah but...still."

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Alex as though she'd**

**planned this. Alex knew she ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken**

**her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded herself it would be a whole**

**year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."

The others started growling.

"Don't worry guys the feeling is mutual", Alex chuckled. Ron's eyes went wide " Alex it this the one-"

"Yes the very same.", Alex said proud.

"What happened?", Sirius asked.

"I'll tell you in the third book.",

**The Dursley's often spoke about Alex like this, as though she wasn't there**

— **or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't**

**understand them, like a slug.**

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

**"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Alex put in hopefully (she'd be able to**

**watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go**

**on Dudley's computer).**

"But then you would have fun and we can't have that." Bill said with a snarl.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"She actually looks every time like that!", Alex smirked.

"And like a horse", Fred said and pulled a grimace.

"George, enough!"

"What? Mom I'm George, He's Fred, I didn't say anything-", George complained.

"Don't play that game with me again", Mrs. Weasley said to her sons.

"Actually Mrs. Weasley he's saying the truth now", Alex explained.

Fred and George looked at her with wide eyes. "You can tell us apart?", they said together She nodded. "Even mom can't do that!", Fred sounded desperate.

"Alex how do you do that?", Mr. Weasley asked excited.

"Fred's eyes are a little darker and Georges hair is shorter and Fred's. Besides George has a freckle under his right eye and Fred not.", the girl shrugged.

"Fascinating Potter, can we return to the books now?", Snape sneered.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Alex, but they weren't listening. **

"Yeah Mr. Weasley will take care of that."

"Arthur! ARTHUR WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Fourth book mum", Ron grinned.

**"Just Dudley's room.", she mumbled under her breath.**

"Did you ever do that?", Fred asked.

"I never got the chance.", Alex sighed sadly. "Would have been hilarious."

**"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and**

**leave her in the car…"**

"She's not a dog you know", Luna said in her dreamy voice."

"Hey!", Sirius sounded offended.

"Sirius not now", Remus ordered with a serious voice.

**"That car's new; she's not sitting in it alone…"**

"Oh yes care about the car and not your niece!", McGonagall shouted.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been**

**years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face**

**and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Alex dear and your aunt falls for that?"

"Every single time", Alex rolled her eyes.

"Dinky Duddydums,

"Ouch, I think they're doing more damage to Dudley than Alex", Fred said but shout up as his mother shoot him a death glare.

"Her nicknames get worse the older he is", Alex snickered, trying to lift the tense in the air.

**her arms around him.**

**"I… don't… want… her… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend**

**sobs. "She always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Alex a nasty grin through**

**the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Oh this kid is going on my nerves", Kingsley said glaring at the book.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt**

**Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers**

**Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who**

**held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley**

**stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"If you can't cry in front of your friends then their not your real friends. Honestly.",Alex rolled her eyes and the others chuckled.

"Wise words, Ms. Potter", Dumbledore said, looking above her shoulder.

Alex felt anger boiling in her stomach." I wish he would stop that!", she thought.

**Half an hour later, Alex, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the**

**back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the**

**first time in her life. Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of**

**anything else to do with her, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken**

**Alex aside.**

Several in the room growled.

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close**

**to Alex', "I'm warning you now, girl**

"She has a name you know!", Charlie shouted loosing his nerves.

"So use it!", Bill finished.

**any funny business, anything at all —**

**and you'll not have any meals for a week**

Sirius groaned and had his face in his hands. "No, please. Not that also!", he begged and suddenly felt arms around his waist. He looked down and saw Alex looking scared up at him and pulled her even closer to him and placed a kiss on her temple.

"I'm okay Sirius really, don't worry. It's okay."

"How often did they not feed you Alex?", McGonagall asked.

"Not too often though. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do the chores in the house.", she explained innocently.

"Dear Merlin, Lexi you don't deserve this.", Remus groaned.

"It's okay uncle Moony.", she repeated herself.

"No it's not okay." Everyone turned to see who has just spoken. Dumbledore looked over at Sirius and Alexandra. "Ms. Potter, I am very sorry for what happened to you. I assure you that I didn't know that. I thought that Petunia would take care of you as her own child, the way Lily would have done it. I am very sorry.", he finished his speech and looked suddenly very old and tired. Not the powerful Dumbledore anymore with the twinkle in his eyes. Just a man who had made a mistake and regretted it completely.

She looked up from Sirius chest. "So I don't have to go back there anymore?", she asked hopefully. Her eyes glinting with excitement.

The headmaster paused. He knew that everyone was looking at nodded slowly.

"We'll tell the ministry that you'll live with Remus. You'll live then at Sirius house-yes Sirius because it is very well protected- as well with Remus if he want to until we clear Sirius name."

She jumped up and started beaming and dancing around. "YES!", she cheered. And jumped in Sirius arms laughing. "I don't have to go there Siri, I don't have to go there anymore!", she yelled happy and run also in Remus arms. "Isn't that great guys? I'm going to live with you!", she asked. "It's wonderful cub.", Remus hugged her back.

**and then in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Alex, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Alex and it was**

**just no good telling the Dursley's she didn't make them happen.**

"Ahh accidental magic.", Ron said dreamily. "What make you happen Alex?", Ron asked her best friend.

Alex grinned mischievous, "You'll see."

"Oh no, I'll no that expressions on her face", McGonagall groaned.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Alex coming back from the barbers looking as**

**though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut**

**her hair into a very badly shaped bob though she left her fringe, which she**

**left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Alex,**

**who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was**

**already laughed at for her baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

**"That's why I got rid of them anyway.", the girl who lived explained.**

**Next morning, however, she had gotten up to find her hair exactly as it**

**had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off, three quarters of the way**

**down her back.**

Everyone except of Snape, Malfoy and Percy cheered at that. "That's great Prongslet, nothing can beat the Potter hair", Sirius winked as she laughed between him and Remus.

**She hadn't been given food for three days**

Sirius held her closer as if to try and protect her from the events in the book, in

truth she didn't mind. She kind of liked it, she liked it when her uncle and godfather held her and whispered comforting words in her ear.

**and a week in her cupboard for this, even though she had tried to explain**

**that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting**

**old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"EWW! Please tell me you didn't wear that!", Ginny and Hermione said.

**The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to**

**become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly**

**wouldn't fit Alex.**

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her**

**great relief, Alex wasn't punished.**

"Good!", Sirius growled again.

**On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the**

**roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing her as usual**

**when, as much to Alex' surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on**

**the chimney.**

"WHOA!", Ron exclaimed. "You actually apparated?"

"Don't know", Alex said and shrugged. "I think I flew"

"Ms. Potter this is very highly advanced magic.", McGonnagal said and she blushed.

**The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Alex' headmistress**

**telling them Alex had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to**

**do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her**

**cupboard, after being told she wasn't having any food for a week.) was jump**

**behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Alex supposed that the**

**wind must have caught her in mid-jump.**

Everyone burst laughing at that and Alex turned a darker shade of red and hid her in her hands. "Oh come on!", she yelled, "I was 8 and didn't know anything about magic!", she said but also grinned.

"Come on, kiddo. Nobody's that light!", Sirius said throw his laugh flash'.

"Kiddo? I'm nearly sixteen!", she pouted.

"You'll always be kiddo to me Prongslet.", Sirius said and smiled at her.

**On another day Piers had followed her from the school and got on her nerves. He had tried to kiss her**

"WHAT DID THIS BASTARD DO?! IF HE EVER TRIES TO TOUCH YOU AGAIN!", Sirius yelled.

"Sirius don't worry he got what he deserved", his goddaughter said with a gleefully glint in her eyes, remembering McGonnagal of James.

"What did you do?", Hermione asked curious.

"Ladies and Gentlemen wait, see and enjoy.", she grinned again.

**and wanted to grab her hands but she had just slapped him across the face and then kicked him with all her power in his genitals. Piers had landed 10 meters away from her on the ground and didn't dare to stand up until Alex was in the house with a triumphantly smirk on her face.**

Everyone was laughing along with Alex as she remembered his face and Sirius grabbed her and pulled her around. "That's my girl!", he said.

"But really Prongslet if he ever touch you again-"

"I'll kick him again in the balls", Alex finished his sentence and grinned widely.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

Now the kids groaned at that.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!", Alex mocked.

"Sure.", the teenagers chorused. "Knowing your luck."

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day**

**somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's**

**cabbage-smelling living room. While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to**

**Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Alex, the**

**council, Alex, the bank, and Alex were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"Don't know why you-"

"complain Alex, obviously he loves

"talking about you", the twins ended their sentence together and Alex just rolled her eyes at the twins.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a**

**motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Alex, remembering suddenly. "It**

**was flying."**

"Oh please tell me you didn't just say that Alex.", Sirius face-palmed himself and the girl blushed.

Snape's lips curled into an evil smile and he sneered, "Don't surprise me at all Potter. Sure you have noticed that Potter is extraordinary like her father Black, she also inherited his brain-"

"Severus enough!", Dumbledore warned as he saw the glares from Remus and Sirius. Alex just rolled her eyes and said silently so just Remus and Sirius heard her, " I was excited it was the first I had the chance to go to the zoo."

Remus and Sirius heart broke, "I shouldn't have gone after the rat", he thought bitterly but he was distracted as Alex yawned and laid her head on his shoulder.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around**

**in his seat and yelled at Alex, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache:**

**"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"I know they don't," said Alex. "That's why I said it was a dream!", she said and rolled her eyes.

"Nah it was a memory, a great one two, it involved your gorgeous godfather", Sirius grinned. The teenagers rolled their eyes. "Actually Sirius she just remembered your bike not you", Hermione said grinning. "She's got a point Padfoot", Remus smiled.

Sirius pouted and she continued reading.

**But she wished she hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the**

**Dursley's hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking**

**about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or**

**even a cartoon — they seemed to think she might get dangerous ideas.**

"I think we should watch these cartoons." the twins said. "They did give us some

really good ideas." Remus said. The twins perked up and went to ask Alex and

Hermione to about it but their mom stopped them.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The**

**Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the**

**entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Alex what**

**she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap**

**lemon ice pop.**

**It wasn't bad, either, Alex thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla**

**scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't**

**blonde. **

"Just to get it straight, Lily's wit and James insults equals Alexandra Potter. Interesting.", Sirius said. Remus shook his head and Alex and the other teenagers bar Malfoy laughed,.

**"Wow Dudley it looks like you found your long lost brother.", she said and grinned wide.**

The room burst out laughing so hard, they couldn't stop for at least five minutes. Just Snape, Percy, McGonnagal and Remus didn't laugh**.**

"Alex be nice to your cousin!", Remus said sternly to her.

She just rolled her eyes and as he saw that, her uncle raised his brows seriously at her.

"Alright, I'm sorry.", she said and rubbed back of her neck. "But If you would know what he did you wouldn't say that Remus. When I was younger I couldn't really do something against Dudley and his gang, I only started resisting them when I turned six and older.", she said earnestly. Remus pulled her closer and said," I'm sorry sweetheart", and kissed her head lightly.

"You don't have to apologize. I – er – might have been sometimes also not that nice".

**"What?", he asked stupidly.**

**"There he is. Why don't you greet him?", she said and pointed at the gorilla. "I'm sure you'll have a lot to discuss, after all the years you were separated." Alex couldn't help but grin mischievously.**

Everyone in the room groaned while all under 25 were still laughing. "Alex come on! Don't push your luck!", Remus begged. She just scratched her neck and said, "Yeah maybe I shouldn't do that...". Lupin shook her head at her and chuckled.

**Before Dudley could realize what she even said Alex went to the next cage and watched the lions with fascination. **

"Through and through a Gryffindor!", McGonagall exclaimed proud. It was the time for Snape and Malfoy to roll their eyes.

**Alex had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to**

**walk a little way apart from the Dursley's so that Dudley and Piers, who were**

**starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on**

**their favorite hobby of hitting her.(or in Piers case kissing her)**

"It's a good plan, even if I want you to punch him again, you should stay out of trouble Prongslet.", he finished in (over-)parenting mode.

McGonagall's eyes were wide, "I thought I've never see the day when Sirius Black gives advices to teenagers, especially James daughter, to stay out of trouble.", she finished looking stunned but still proud.

Sirius pulled Alex closer and said "I want her to be okay, I'll do everything for my Lexi."

Alex blushed again but stayed with her head on Sirius shoulder.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because**

**his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon**

**bought him another one and Alex was allowed to finish the first**

"Well that's okay", Ginny said and Alex nodded.

**Alex felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Oh no what happened now?", Remus and Tonks said together and both blushed, causing Alex to giggle.

Alex suddenly remembered what had happened afterward and frowned. How will Sirius and Remus react when they know I'm a Parselmouth?", she thought panicking.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. **

After this sentence they all watched Alex flinching and becoming pale. She escaped from Sirius arms, and looked just at her hands, avoiding everyone's eyes.  
She was afraid of Sirius and Remus reaction. Especially Sirius since she know how much he hated the whole Slytherin house and everything what had to do with them.

Sirius on the other side wondered if he had done something wrong. It broke his heart every time seeing his goddaughter trying to escape from his embrace and avoiding him completely. Their thought were interrupted by Hermione's voice reading the book's again.

**It was cool and dark in there,**

**with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and**

**snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and**

**Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing**

**pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have**

**wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a**

**trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast**

**asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the**

**glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the**

**glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"_Idiot", Tonks muttered. _

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. **

"Double Idiot", Tonks muttered again.

**Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with**

**his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Alex moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She**

**wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company**

**except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it**

**all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the**

**only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at**

**least she got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Alex, are you comparing yourself to a snake?", Bill asked. She, again, just looked at the floor and didn't answer.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its**

**head until its eyes were on a level with Alex'.**

**It winked.**

"What?", Sirius asked, "Is this even possible? I thought snakes don't have eyelids? Remus?"

Called friend just shrugged and Hermione continued reading.

Alex stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching.

**They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"Prongslet what are you doing?", Sirius asked interested.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its**

**eyes to the ceiling. It gave Alex a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Alex murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the**

**snake could hear her. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

Sirius jaw dropped and he paled slightly, "Alex are-are you a Parselmouth?" He sounded shocked. "I can't believe it...I don't understand why are you able to-"

"Sirius!", Remus warned him silently and pointed at the girl between them.

Alex didn't say anything but just realized how pale and nervous she was. She was avoiding everyone's eyes and still looking at her hands. Sirius suddenly understood why she was behaving like that and stood up and knelt in front of her.

"Alex?"

She lifted her head a little and looked him in the eyes.

"Do you really think that we care? Pup, we won't judge you because of this, you're still the same person to us, really and we all love you for who you are. We don't care!", he finished quietly.

"Really Siri?"

He grinned at her. "I solemnly swear". Then Sirius sat again next to her and she cuddled again on his side. "Thank you Siri.", she whispered.

He just smile at her and wrapped an arm around her.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Alex asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Alex peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Alex read on: This**

**specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

Ron started laughing.

"What so funny Ron?"

"Well Alls you are in the zoo and talking with a snake about Brazil and everything. And you still don't think it's weird at all?", he laughed again, this time with everyone else under 20. Alexandra did the mature thing a poked her tongue at him out and then throw a pillow at him.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Alex made both of**

**them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE!**

**YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"He looked like a Penguin", Alex laughed.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Alex in the ribs. Caught by**

**surprise, Alex fell hard on the concrete floor gasping. It was the same spot**

**where two nights before she had been hit by her uncle and it started hurting immediately again. **

Sirius stiffened at this again and was touching his wand. "Alex, we have some ideas about your relatives. Do you mind if we could...you know..", Fred asked unsure.

"Only if I'm not allowed to join in", she joked at the Weasley twins grinned at her.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one**

**second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next,**

**they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**"**What did you do, Potter?", Draco said, sounding slightly interested.

**Alex sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had**

**vanished.**

"BRILLIANT", Fred and George came to her and bowed, then took her hand and shook them very Percy-like.

"Boys enough of this!", Mr. Weasley smiled.

"Ms. Potter this is really powerful magic!", Dumbledore chuckled with his twinkle in the blue eyes.

Alex again blushed and hid herself in Remus shoulder now. He chuckled and rubbed her back.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor.**

**People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the**

**exits.**

Everyone burst out laughing, except for Snape, Malfoy and Percy. The teachers had smiles on their faces as well as Moody.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Alex could have sworn a low, hissing**

**voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amiga."**

"What a nice snake", Luna said dreamily.

"That she was. I wonder if she made it to Brazil", Alex chuckled. The adults shook their heads with small smiles on their faces.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Well my dear friend-"

"That's what we call-"

" C", they shouted together but Mrs. Weasley stopped them with a silencing charm.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea**

**while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber.**

**As far as Alex had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap**

**playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in**

**Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his**

**leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"DRAMA QUEENS!", Hermione said in a sing-sang voice while Alex murmured to herself "I wish."

**But worst of all, for Alex at least, was Piers calming down enough to say,**

**"Alex was talking to it, weren't you, Alex?"**

"Oh please shut up you rat!", Sirius snarled at the book.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting**

**on Alex. He was so angry he grabbed her by her hair, before slapping her so hard across the face that her lower lip started bleeding slightly.**

Everyone who liked her in the room winced painfully and looked at her with pity in their eyes.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER DURSLEY!", this time Remus yelled.

"I AM SO GOING TO KILL HIM!", Sirius said, pacing around the room.

"Sirius, calm down!", Alex begged tired.

But her godfather ignored her comment and he stopped in front of Dumbledore and yelled at him, "How could you put her in this house? Knowing that Petunia hated Lily, KNOWING THAT SHE HATED MAGIC? How could you do that to an innocent child?"

Dumbledore sighed and said sadly, "There's wasn't another way to protect her."

"Protect her? PROTECT HER? How in the world is THIS-" he pointed at the book- "called PROTECTION? You sure wanted to protect her of Death Eaters but didn't you think a SECOND about protection she needed IN the bloody house, Dumbledore? Or maybe you just weren't interested at all in her well-being. You tend a lot to to put people in houses they don't want to be. "

"Sirius, this is enough!", Remus said at his friend. "Come on. Sit down, we'll discuss this later"

Sirius sent his friend a death glare and sat next to Alex again and pulled her into a hug.

"Siri I'm okay, you know that that all happened years ago?", she tried to lighten up his mood.

**"I warned to girl!" he sneered furiously. "What happened?", he asked her.**

**Alex was whining with pain as he still grabbed her hair and shouted, "I swear I don't know. From on second to another the glass vanished! It was like magic!"**

"That was certainly the wrong thing to say, pup" Sirius sighed in her hair, as he was still holding her.

"I know that now.", she nodded with her head.

**Uncle Vernon grabbed her by her waist and throw her in the cupboard. **

**Alex lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She**

**didn't know what time it was and she couldn't be sure the Dursley's were**

**asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for**

**some food.**

Mr and Mrs Weasley just sighed. "That just isn't true to do to a child."

"You're right, that's your home cub, you shouldn't have to do that!", Remus sighed too.

"No." Everyone looked at Alex in surprise.

"It's not my home. My home was for one year in Godric's Hollow. And then at the Burrow and Hogwarts. I even feel more home at the Grimmauldplace - as long as I'm with you Sirius and Remus- but no, at Privet Drive I never felt at home."

Some had tears in her eyes and Remus wrapped an arm around Alex comforting her.

"I'm so sorry Lexi. So sorry cub. You don't deserve any of this.", he said and pulled her to him. She gently laid her head on his shoulder and didn't say anything. She couldn't trust her own voice anymore.

**She'd lived with the Dursley's almost ten years, ten miserable years, as**

**long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents**

**had died in that car crash. She couldn't remember being in the car when her**

**parents had died. Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long**

**hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of**

**green light and a burning pain on her forehead.**

"You remember that?", George asked. She never saw him this serious, it was almost scary. She just nodded and mentioned to Hermione to read on.

**This, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all**

**the green light came from. She couldn't remember her parents at all. Her**

**aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course she was forbidden to**

**ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"So you didn't know how they looked like?", Remus asked sadly.

She shook her head "Not until Christmas my first year."

"We're going to show you loads of photos Prongslet.", Sirius whispered in her ear and she grinned happy at him. "Thanks"

**When she had been younger, Alex had dreamed and dreamed of some**

**unknown relation coming to take her away,**

Sirius and Remus both looked guilty at their laps, regretting so many things that had gone wrong. Alex saw their faces full of guilt and said " Don't blame yourselves guys! It's not your fault Sirius and neither your Remus!",

"I should have fought more to keep you Lex.", Remus said quietly.

"Come on it's not your fault that the ministry is run by jerks."

"And I shouldn't have gone after Pettigrew!", Sirius said, his face showing anger now.

"You thought it would be for the best to give me to the Dursley's Siri. It's not your fault. If you want to blame someone then blame Pettigrew and Voldemort", she said and hugged both her real family.

**but it had never happened; the Dursley's were her only family. Sometimes when she really strained her brain as much as she could she thought she remembered a beautiful women. Alex had the same face, the same nose and lips and hair but the unknown women had green eyes while Alex' were light hazel. Exactly the same as the eyes from the man who always stood next to the woman. He had untidy black hair, was tall and thin and always a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes and Alex always thought that she had the same smile as the man. He also wore glasses but looked very nice, too.**

"Pronglet you remembered them!", Sirius said amazed and grinned at her.

She nodded and said sadly, "Yeah, but just sometimes. And it wasn't always a clear memory. It was often just like a picture which vanished very fast. I never really realized it was mum and dad"

**Next to the couple , she thought she could also slightly remember two other men. One was also tall, his eyes were grey and he had long black hair, which were curled in a beautiful way, he certainly was really handsome. He also grinned and laughed at her. **

**"**Merlin!", Sirius gasped, "You remembered also me?".

Alex just shrugged, "Every time I tried to remember my family I also remembered you", she smiled at him-

**The other man was, the tallest from the three men. He had sandy brown hair and kindly amber eyes and a soft smile on his lips. He had some small scars on his face but still looked also good. Alex thought that he had something that calmed her down, not as much as the man with the untidy black hair, but still.**

Remus eyes were wide and he looked at her. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

"Of course I remembered you too, Remus. Like I said before every time I tried really hard to remember my family I remembered you, mum, dad and Sirius.", she grinned at them.

Remus closed his mouth and smiled at her kindly.

**Everytime Alex tried to remember more of them, she couldn't and that really frustrated her. She wanted to know who these people were, they seemed to like her, **

"Of course we like you cub", Remus said and kissed her head. Alex snuggled closer to him and he smiled at her happily.

**in a way, she couldn't understand because aunt Petunia always said that nobody would ever like a freak like she was.**

Remus was still holding Alex and he could feel how she stiffened so he spoke to her so quiet that nobody could hear them.

"You know, you're not a freak Lexi, right?", he whispered desperately.

"Yeah...I do Remy.", she responded. Sirius started growling and looked like a real murderer. "Siri, calm down. I don't think that anymore.", Alex assured him.

"You better not think that pup! Because that's the biggest bullshit someone ever told you. You were so much loved, you mum and dad loved you both so much, as well as me and Remus. You had everyone whipped around your little finger. Everyone adored you, pup.", Sirius said to her looking really – well – serious.

"He's true cub.", Remus said and wrapped his arms around the girl. "Don't think something like that.

**Alex also wondered if the two other men in her "memory" were dead, too. **

"Sorry", Alex apologized quickly but Sirius was chuckling along with Remus.

**They have to be!", she thought sadly. The small girl in the cupboard thought that if they really would liked her like it seems, they wouldn't have let her with the Dursley, would they? **

"I'm sor-"

"Guys don't apologize, I know now why you couldn't take me", Alex said before Remus and Sirius could even say a whole sentence.

**"Maybe is aunt, Petunia right", she thought. "Who would like a freak like me? Maybe they still live but they don't want me"., she thought bitterly and whipped a teardrop with her small hand away. **

Remus and Sirius both hugged her and kissed her head.

" . !", Sirius said angrily. "You are being loved by the most people Lex." he said and kissed her forehead again.

**It was the last time she really wanted to remember those people, even though they always seemed to calm her down, for some strange reason. But sometimes it still happened, when uncle Vernon beat her or she was starved in the cupboard, the picture of them came in her mind and she stopped crying of pain and didn't loose hope. **

Sirius stroked her hair gently and smiled at her.

**Yet sometimes she thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street**

**seemed to know her. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed**

"Diggle?", Moody growled. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

**to her once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking**

**Alex furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the**

**shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in**

**green had waved merrily at her once on a bus. A bald man in a very long**

**purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and**

**then walked away without a word. **

"Yeah, he just had walked away without a word, didn't he KINGSLEY", Alex shouted and said the last word very slow and long. Called Auror smiled slightly and said, "Well yes it was me. But what did you expect me to do? I couldn't say anything because I knew that you were raised with your Muggle relatives."

"True", Alex said.

**The weirdest thing about all these people**

**was the way they seemed to vanish the second Alex tried to get a closer look.**

"It's called apparating Potter", Snape sneered.

"What really? After five years in Hogwarts and in the magical world it still was a mystery to me really I had not a clue, but now I know, thank you very much for telling me.", Alex snapped sarcastically.

The teenagers bar Draco snickered.

"Watch your mouth, Potter! Exactly like your father you are! Doesn't respect the teachers and people around him at all"

"I respect people around me who deserved to be respected and who are worth it!", she said her temper raising.

"MS:POTTER! SEVERUS!", McGonnagal warned.

**At school, Alex had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that**

**odd Alexandra Potter in her baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody**

**liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That was the chapter.", Hermione narrated. "Who wants to read next?"

"I will", Sirius said and took the book.

Everyone was looking at him.

"What?", he asked confused.

"Siri are you feeling well?", Alex teased.

"Yes you sound like you have headache.", Remus said.

"Yes, where is it hurting?"

"Do you have a high temperature?"

"Is it bad?", Alex joked again.

"Should we call Madame Pomfrey?", Remus helped her and grinned.

"OH Shut it you two!", Sirius yelled and Alex giggled. "It's about Lexi of course I'm going to read!"

**What do you think? **

**Do you like it? **

**Are they some things you especially liked/ disliked?**

**Let me know :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Letters from no one

_**Guys I've been so busy with school that I really couldn't find any time to upload again! I'm truly sorry about that but here comes the next chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it :)**_

_**Reviews would be nice :)**_

_**Focuser xx**_

* * *

**Chapter 3 : Letters from no one**

**"Chapter 3: Letters from no one", **Sirius read. "Yay, Lexi it's about your

Hogwarts letter, right?"

Alex smiled at him and nodded.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Alex her longest-ever**

**punishment.**

People growled loudly.

**By the time she was allowed out of her cupboard again, the summer**

**holidays had started**

Remus was fuming with anger, "Alex, cub, when is your cousin's birthday?"

Alex rubbed her neck uncomfortably and lowered her head, "Er – well in the

middle of – er – May..."

Remus and Sirius looked at her sternly, "Alex when is _really _his birthday?"

Alex got a little red and mumbled, "Alright, alright... in the end of April"

Sirius was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Remus rubbed his face and mumbled under his breath, "I can't believe it...I can't believe it."

Alex shivered uncomfortably in her seat and said, "But I was allowed to go to

school, so it wasn't really-"

Remus stopped her with a glare as if he wanted to say, "If you value your life, you

better not say that it was okay"

The other adults in the reading room looked angry too, while Dumbledore looked

really tired and sad, McGonagall's lips were pressed together, Moody growled

something and nearly every other in the room looked at her sad and shocked.

Snape tried to hide his emotions as good as he could while Malfoy's had lost the

coldness in his eyes. Alex felt all the looks she was getting and said, "I was alright, it

happened years ago."

"This doesn't make the fact better that they locked you in a cupboard, Potter!",

Moody growled. He wasn't always really good with children but he know that he

never would do things like that to an innocent child. "Sirius just continue reading,

please", Alex begged with big eyes.

Sirius started reading again, his voice was shaking lightly.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote**

**control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old**

**Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"A horrible child! Did he even get punished?",Mrs. Weasley begged desperately.

"He didn't. I even saw Uncle Vernon give him twenty pounds", Alex rolled her

eyes.

"He did what?", Molly cried horrified , "This is absolutely unbelievable! This bloody idiot shouldn't be allowed to be a father!"

All they Weasley's eyes went wide and their jaws dropped.

"Molly are you feeling alright, dear?" Mr. Weasley , asked and caused the the twins, Ron and Alex to laughed so hard, that they felt from their seats. Their laughter were stopped when Percy spoke.

"Even Black would be a better father!", he hissed with a satisfied smirk on his

face.

Sirius looked like someone had just slapped him across the face.

Alex stood up fast, walked over to Percy and stopped right in front of him and

glared at him pointing her wand right at him. Her glare made him shrunk back. With

a dead low voice, but still so loud that everyone could hear her, she hissed, "What do

YOU now? Sirius would make a brilliant father and if I catch you saying again

something about him then I'm going to hex you in thousand pieces!" Percy paled and

Alex took that as an answer.

As she finished she went back to Sirius and clenched her arms around his waist on

the couch.

Sirius responded her hug and kissed her lightly on the head but still looking a little pale.

**Alex was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang,**

**who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and**

**Gordon**

**were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the**

**lot, he was the leader.**

"That's right. Ahhh Malfoy that also explains why Goyle is the leader of your little

group ", Alex chuckled at her enemy. The teenagers roared with laughter and Malfoy did

surprisingly just the same and said,

"That's probably the reason, yes"

The trio shared a look, did they just have a normal conversation with Draco Malfoy, who

spoke with them without any insult in his sentence and coldness in his eyes?

"Alex!", Remus said to her sternly.

"Sorry Remmy.", she said and smiled at him apologetically. After Molly had glared

at the laughing teenagers Malfoy was still a little red and Sirius tried to hide his smile.

Remus now looked also sternly at Sirius. "SIRIUS!"

"Sorry Remmy", he echoed his goddaughter and caused also Remus to smile.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport:**

**Alex Hunting**

"How about we hunt Dudley Alex?", George grinned together with his friend.

"It's not as funny as you think it is.", Alex said. "After a short time it just starts

getting boring because he's not that of a fast runner. And then you get depressed

because you start feeling bad for someone who made your life a hell and you stop

because it is just sad"

**This was why Alex spent as much time as possible out of the house,**

**wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where she**

**could see a tiny ray of hope.**

**"**Of course you would. You won't visit the same school as Dudley and his idiotic

friends.", Hermione snapped angrily.

**When September came she would be going off to secondary school and, for**

**the first time in her life, she wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been**

**accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss**

**was**

**going there too. Alex, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the**

**local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"Why?", Molly asked interested.

"You'll see, .", sighed Alex.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he**

**told Alex. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"DON'T YOU DARE!", Hermione yelled like never before. The others joined her but

were stopped from Sirius who had already read the next line and started laughing.

He was clenching his stomach and wiping his tears away.

"Sirius just read on", Remus groaned. He calmed himself, took the book again and

continued.

**"No, thanks," said Alex. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible**

**as your head down it — it might be sick."**

Everyone now understood why Sirius had laughed so hard and were joining him.

Alex could swear she also saw Snape smiling.

"Great one, cub", Remus cheered.

**Then she ran, before Dudley could work out what she'd said.**

"My my, how very Slytherin of you, Potter!", Snape sneered greasily.

"That wasn't a very "Slytherin" thing to do. That was very "common sense" thing

to do Professor. What would you do if you insult a fat, stupid cousin of yours while

his other stupid friends, who only beat girl by the way, are in the house plus

bored...Professor", Alex chuckled at him while the teenagers nodded and chuckled

along with her, even Malfoy.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings**

**uniform, leaving Alex at Mrs. Figg's.**

**Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual.**

"That's a plus at least." Ginny sighed.

**It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she**

**and gave her a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for**

**several years.**

"How can she do that ?", Remus asked shocked.

"The poor chocolate ,eh Remus?", Sirius teased his old friend.

"Oh come on you know what I mean!", Remus rolled his eyes.

"Yes I know that you're still addicted to your dear choco.", Sirius grinned.

"I'm not _addicted_"

"Yeah it's not like he carries a bar chocolate with him everywhere he goes Siri.",

Alex teased her uncle, knowing that he always had chocolate with him and Remus

turned red. The adults tried to hide their smiles while the teenagers laughed and

Dumbledore chuckled merrily, his eyes twinkling.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his**

**brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange**

**knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

"I think I've never been happier about our Hogwarts uniform!", Ron said with a

disgusted expression on his face.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the**

**teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later**

**life.**

"How is that a good training for later life? Seriously!", Hermione hissed.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said**

**gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into**

**tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

"Ickle-"

"Dudleykins?", Fred and George said. And burst out laughing.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Alex didn't trust herself to speak.**

**She thought two of her ribs might already have cracked from trying not to**

**laugh.**

Now she didn't hold herself back from laughing and was shaking between Remus

and Sirius. Both men looked at her happy and chuckled.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Alex**

**went**

**in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the**

**sink.**

**She went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags**

**swimming in grey water.**

**"What's this?" she asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always**

**did if she dared to ask a question.**

Fred held his finger at Alex said said in a dramatic voice, "You cheeky cheeky girl!

How dare you ask a question?"

"Indeed, very cheeky?", George helped his twin.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Alex looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," she said her voice filled with sarcasm, "I didn't realize it had to be so**

**wet."**

"Sarcasm don't work on her Potter", Snape said.

"I've noticed", she grinned. "But how do you know?", she asked.

Snape didn't answer so Sirius continued reading.

"How will she react when she knows I was her mothers best friend, well until fifth year?, Snape thought.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old**

**things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Alex seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.**

"That's really new to me, Potter. Maybe you should decide to take this habit also

in the lessons.", Snape said.

"Of course I will Professor", Alex began coolly. "As soon as you stop bullying

innocent student in your lessons!".

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of**

**the smell from Alex' new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as**

**usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere,**

**on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"I don't believe it! He makes his pig of a son make something!", Ron shouted.

"Wait for it", Alex sighed

**"Make Alex get it."**

"Don't now why I'm even surprised", Ron hissed at the book.

**"Get the mail, girl."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke her with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Alex dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay**

**on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was**

**vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill,**

**and — a letter for Alex.**

**Alex picked it up and stared at it, her heart twanging like a giant elastic**

**band. No one, ever, in her whole life, had written to her.**

"Wait, you never got a letter?", Ginny asked unsure.

"No, why?", Alex asked.

Suddenly Bill started laughing, "So you never got Ron and Ginny's fanmail?"

"BILL!", Ron and Ginny groaned with horror written on their faces. The rest of the Weasley siblings started laughing with their eldest brother.

"What "fanmail"?", Alex asked again confused.

"Oh come on Alex! You were famous since your first birthday, everyone knew your

name! You were the one who defeated You-know-Who. You were for ALL kids a hero.

I'm sure every child your age wrote at least 5 times to you."

"Oh Merlin what would we do to read them.", Charlie said and continued in a

high-pitched voice. "Dear Alexandra Potter, I'm Ginny Weasley and I'm like your

biggest fan-"

"CHARLIE!",Ginny screamed at her brother on the top of her voice and turned the same shade of red as her hair.

Alex turned red and she choked, "Y-you mean-"

"Oh yes, every single one. I bet even Malfoy wrote to you.", Bill said again to her

grinning.

Malfoy's face turned pink again.

" all the mail you got is in safe in Gringotts. If you wish you can see all the letters,

I'm sure they're rather amusing.", McGonnagal said.

**- 94 -**

Alex grinned at her blushing friends and said, "I'd love to, Professor", and wiggled

her eyebrows.

"You are through and through James Potter's daughter!", Kingsley, Mad-Eye,

Sirius and Remus said.

Alex smile grew even wider then she went to Ron and Hermione and whispered in

their ears, "You know what? If Malfoy really wrote to me, we can use that for our

advantage."

"How?", Ron whispered back ignoring all the interested glares.

Alex grinned evilly at her best friends, "Blackmail! But just only if he does

something, otherwise I would never do that!".

"Brilliant!", Ron beamed. Hermione wasn't impressed by her friends idea.

"Alex! You know that you can get in trouble for that! And it isn't nice either!"

"Well Mione, I didn't want to do something nice to him now, I'm not in the

Quiddich team because of him anymore.!", she whispered angry back.

"I know, I know, still you shouldn't have hit him!",

"Great, I thought you were on Alex' side!", Ron moaned.

"Of course I'm going to be on her side Ronald!", Hermione snapped back.

"Hermione! He called you and my mum a-a- You-Know-What!", Alex tried to keep

her voice calm.

"I know! Alex come on, you'll get in more trouble from Umbridge!"

"Ok ok I got it, alright?!", she said and sat between Remus and Sirius again before

her temper could rise.

" , what are you up too?", McGonagall said noticing her expression.

"What do you mean, Professor?", she said trying to sound innocent.

"Oh please Potter! I taught your father, you just had the same expression on your

face as James when he had one of his "great and brilliant" ideas!", McGonagall said

**- 95 -**

loudly, sounding a little bit desperate though.

Moody growled, "If you don't mind it would be great if we could read on! We have other six

bloody books!"

"Aye, Aye, Mad-Eye", Fred and George chorused loudly and then the room erupted

in laughter.

Alex saw Moody's death glare and was truly scared that he might hex anyone so

she nudged Sirius fast and he read on.

**Who would? She had no friends, no other relatives — she didn't belong to**

**the library, so she'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet**

**here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Miss. A. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

McGonagall sighed deeply. "Albus, we should probably let someone watch the

outgoing letters to prevent that something like this happens again"

"Agreed, Minerva!", Dumbledore said, his twinkle in his eyes had went out.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the**

**address was written in emerald-green ink.**

**There was no stamp.**

Alex glanced over at Mr. Weasley and saw him writing excited on a piece of paper, his glasses were almost falling of his nose.

**Turning the envelope over, her hand trembling, Alex saw a purple wax seal**

**bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

**n**

"GRYFFINDOR!", the Gryffindor's in the room shouted.

**an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a**

**large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, girl!"**

"Oh for heavens sake! The girl has a name, it not difficult you know, A-LEX!", Ron

hissed at the book.

"Ron you're talking to the book", Alex snickered.

**shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for**

**letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Wow-"

"This was-"

"Supposed to be-"

"A joke?" Fred and George said in unison, demonstrating that they were the

perfect twins.

**Alex went back to the kitchen, still staring at her letter. She handed Uncle**

**Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the**

**yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the**

**postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

**"**And I'm not sorry one bit!", Alex snarled at the book.

"I've met her once, the woman hates me.", Sirius frowned.

**- 97 -**

"Then you are going to love the third book Siri. Besides It's my safest", Alex

added.

"Weren't there Dementors all the time?", Sirius asked, getting pale slightly.

"Yes they were.", she shrugged.

Sirius groaned loudly. "You are going to get me grey hairs, Lexi!"

She cuddled in his embrace and smiled sweetly, "Sorry, Siri."

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Alex' got something!"**

"Could you please hit him for me, Alex!", Bill said.

"William! Don't encourage her to hit her cousin!", ordered sternly. Bill ran a hand

through his long, red hair, "Mum he's getting her just into trouble!"

sighed, "That is still not a reason to hit someone. Children should generally not be

beaten."

The adults nodded firmly and Alex hang her head.

**Alex was on the point of unfolding her letter, which was written on the**

**same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of**

**her hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Alex, trying to snatch it back.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon,**

"Ginny.", Bill said shortly.

Called girl reached for a pillow and throw it at her brother with a death glance.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went**

**from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop**

**there.**

**- 98 -**

**Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.**

"Thank you, Alex, now I can't eat porridge ever again!", Ron and Sirius moaned

touching their stomachs.

"You two are unbelievable. Honestly.", Alex rolled her eyes at her best friend and

godfather and laughed.

Moody and Kingsley just said, "Good descriptions, Potter."

"True, really accurate"

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out**

**of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a**

**moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and**

**made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"Still the same Dramaqueen!",Snape and Alex said together bitterly. They looked

at each other with wide eyes and Alex turned slightly red.

"So you know her?", she questioned her Potion Professor interested

"Never said that, Potter", Snape said coolly.

"How would you then know that she's "still the same Dramaqueen"?", Alex asked

suspicious.

Snape, like always, just ignored her and she turned her attention again to the

book.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Alex and Dudley**

**were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his**

**father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**- 99 -**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

**"I want to read it," said Alex furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Talk some sense into him, please cub!", Remus snapped.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back**

**inside its envelope.**

**Alex didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" she shouted.**

"Uh-Oh not a good time for Lily's temper to show up!", Remus whimpered.

"Alex and her bad luck", Hermione mumbled.

"HEY! I'm not that bad!", Alex pouted.

"Sure not sweetheart ", Remus laughed and grinned at her. Sirius pulled her

closer and smiled at her.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"I WANT TO SEE IT!", Alex shouted furiously again.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Alex and Dudley by the**

**scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen**

**door behind them. Alex and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight**

**over who would listen at the keyhole;**

"Alex,Alex,Alex,Alex,Alex,Alex!", the twins cheered.

**Dudley won,**

"NOO", they faked crying for about 5 minutes until Remus silenced them with his

wand.

"Thank you, Remus.", Molly

"What did you expect? He's fourth times bigger than me!" Alex rolled her eyes.

**listen at the crack between door and floor.**

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the**

**address — how could they possibly know where she sleeps? You don't think**

**they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon**

**wildly.**

"Yeah, because we don't have other things to do than to spy on you!", Tonks said,

her hair getting a furious red. Alex rolled her eyes at Tonks seriously and said, "They

really think that their live is the most perfect, interesting at the most beautiful!"

Everyone looked at her with non-believing looks.

Alex nodded firmly and said, "I've heard Petunia saying this a lot of times to our

neighbours!And she wondered why I was laughing!"

Her friends laughed at her and Sirius and Remus would have too if they wouldn't

be so worried about her.

"I hope you didn't get in trouble for that, sweetheart!", Remus said, his eyes

shining with worry. Alex smiled assuredly at him and responded, " No, Aunt Petunia

let me do chores, but she never really hit me."

Suddenly Alex' eyes narrowed and she spoke as though she was thinking loudly,

"Sometimes she even hold Vernon even back from hitting me"

"I think deep down in her, she cares for you", Dumbledore said, but sounded

mostly like he wanted to convince himself from it and not Alex.

The girl didn't comment on Dumbledore's statement but everyone could easily

read from her face that she highly doubted that.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we**

**- 101 -**

**don't want —"**

**Alex could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the**

**kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes,**

**that's best… we won't do anything…"**

**"But —"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took**

**her in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"STAMP OUT? STAMP OUT?!", Remus was now on his feet shouting furiously

while everyone-even Snape and Percy- were shocked and pale. It was kind of scary

seeing Remus angry like that. Normally he was the calm sort of guy while Sirius

showed his bad temper more often.

"Does-does that work, Remus?", Alex asked anxiously.

He quickly looked at her but couldn't answer. To his joy, McGonagall responded, "

this is something that happens very rarely, but yes it is possible. When someone try

to stamp out magic out of a witch or a wizard, the magic could burst out of you,

causing everything around you to explode.", the professor explained slow and

swallowed hard. The room was dead quit, nobody said a word as she continued while

Alex paled slightly and Sirius winced, "which also means that you could have

k-ki-killed yourself in one way or another. The other possibility is that your magic

could burst just into you. Causing your soul to destroy herself very slowly and

painfully. You wouldn't have been dead, no, but it would have been nearly the same

as a Dementores kiss which is 100 percent worse than dead itself"

McGonagall finished and nobody said a word. The most people were looking

nervous, shocked and scared at Alex, Ron and Hermione both shocked, pale and

worried.

Sirius flinched at that and pulled Alex to him. She hugged him tight around the

waist and he placed a kiss on her head.

"I won't let anyone touch you again, pup. I promise you that. And Remember you

don't to go there anymore. You're going to live with me and Remus.", he said and

kissed her head again.

Alex smiled and felt the tiredness overcoming her. In the last day she barely had

slept more than three hours a night, the attack of and her regular nightmares of a

dark floor and a door had haunted her worse than ever. She placed her head on his

chest and hugged him tightly.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something**

**he'd never done before; he visited Alex in her cupboard.**

Suddenly Remus eyes grow wide and he paled like never before. But his face also

turned dark.

"Remus you're okay, mate?", Sirius asked concerned. Alex sat up on the couch and

looked at her honorary uncle concerned. Before she could say something he turned

to her ," Alex sweetheart, did...did he ever t-touch you that way?", he asked tensely.

The room fell silent and Sirius whimpered and held her tighter.

Everyone was looking at her and she shook her head, "No, he didn't, he just beat

me." Everyone let out a sight of relieve and Remus picked her up and hugged her

tight. Then he kissed her temple and they sat again on the couch where Alex

snuggled close to Sirius and laid her head on his shoulder. Sirius wrapped an arm

around his goddaughter .Besides he noticed how tired she was and whispered to

her," Lexi just close your eyes and try to sleep pup. It's okay. You already know what

will happen"

Alex nodded on his chest and closed her eyes. Sirius placed a kiss on her head and

whispered."Goodnight pup."

"Night Siri", she mumbled and felt her eyes close heavily.

**"Where's my letter?" said Alex, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed**

**through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

**"I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Alex angrily, "it had my cupboard on it. Why**

**- 103 -**

**should a letter with MY NAME and the CUPBOARD arrive when it isn't mine?**

**This clearly is absolute nonse-"**

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the**

**ceiling.**

"Do you always have to mention them, Alex?", Ron whimpered and looked at her.

"Alex?", Ron asked confused. Then she saw that her eyes were closed and she was

breathing deeply. "She's sleeping!", Ron said puzzled.

"Good. Hopefully she get some sleep.", Hermione said worriedly.

"What do you mean Hermione?", Remus asked concerned.

"She keeps having strange nightmares and can't go then back to sleep. In the last

week she barely slept three hours a night", Alex best friend explained to the worried

looking adults.

"Is that why she was so tired ?", McGonagall asked.

Hermione just nodded and looked again at Alex, who was sleeping peacefully in

her godfathers arms.

"Didn't she think of a sleeping potion?", Kingsley calm voice asked. Tonks nodded

next to him and Hermione explained, "She doesn't want because it can lead very fast

to addiction!"

Kingsley sighed and nodded sadly.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which**

**looked quite painful.**

**"Er — yes, Alexandra — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been**

**thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice**

**if**

**you moved into Dudley second bedroom.**

**- 104 -**

"Second bedroom? The poor girl slept in a cupboard for almost ten years while

their pig of

a son had two bedrooms." Mrs. Weasley said. Sirius who looked furious

wrapped his arm around his sleeping goddaughter , holding her

close.

**"Why? Why all of sudden now? Does it have something to do with the**

**letter?" said Alex.**

"Why does she question it?" Ron asked.

"I think because she wasn't used to him being nice to her."

Hermione mumbled. "Good Potter is a smart kid, CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Never

trust your enemy" Mad-Eye yelled, making everyone

jump. Hermione looked at her lap and said, "I think this is also the reason, why

she doesn't really trust adults."

Kingsley sighed at said, "No wonder, all her life she had experienced the worst

from her aunt and uncle, when they treated her like that, Merlin knows what she

thought other people would do to her"

Neville looked sad at his friend, he still couldn't believe what had happened to

her.

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped her uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**Before he could go out Alex glared again at her uncle, "It has to do**

**something with the letter then! I mean I'm sleeping in this cupboard for**

**almost ten years now and you're realizing now that I'm getting a little bit big**

**for it?" Alex wished she had bitten herself on the tongue.**

**Her uncle's face got a dark shade of red and the vein in his forehead**

**looked like it was going to explode any second."I said DON'T ASK ANY**

**QUESTIONS, GIRL! GET UP NOW!" Alex swallowed hard and nodded quickly.**

**The Dursley's house had four bedrooms:**

Growling could be heard throughout the room.

Sirius was chanting under his breath, "Four bedrooms, four bloody bedrooms...I

can't believe it"

But he stopped as Alex moved a little. Sirius was holding with one arm Alex, who

was breathing deeply again, and with the other the book.

"Padfoot, should I read instead?",suggested Remus kindly but Sirius negated the

question.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle**

**Vernon's sister, Marge),**

Ron tried to stifle his laughter when he remembered how Alex had blown her up in

her third year. His parents, Moody and McGonagall shot him looks, so he turned a

little red and waited for Sirius to continue.

**one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept**

**all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took**

**Alex one trip upstairs to move everything she owned from the cupboard to**

**this room. She sat down on the bed and stared around her. Nearly**

**everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on**

**top**

**of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door**

**neighbour's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which**

**he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled;**

**there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had**

**swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end**

**all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books.**

**They**

**- 106 -**

**were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been**

**touched.**

"Some of the book are really interesting. Alex read them and give some to me!",

Hermione said, thinking of her books.

"Alex read them?", the twins asked shocked.

Ron just turned to Alex and mumbled, "Traitor!"

"Ronald even you would read books if you were looked in a room!", Hermione said

angrily.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't**

**want her in there… I need that room… make her get out…"**

"Tough luck, big baby." Bill said.

**Alex sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday she'd have given**

**anything to be up here. Today she'd rather be back in her cupboard with**

**that letter than up here without it.**

Ron and Hermione shook their heads, "She's too curious for her own good",

Hermione said.

"Don't surprise me, she got that from her father!", McGonagall snorted.

"I think it's a mix of both, Lily was also extremely curious, maybe not as much as

James was but still.", Remus smiled at his ex-professor.

"It's the same thing about her temper", Sirius said. "But in this case Lily's had a

worse temper than James."

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in**

**shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been**

**sick**

**- 107 -**

**on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the**

**greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

McGonagall and sniffled angrily. The two stern woman couldn't believe how a

parent could raise a child like that. But on the other side, it wasn't really Dudley's

fault because they had spoiled him his whole life, he was used to this sort of

treatment from his parents, even though it was completely wrong.

**Alex was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing she'd**

**opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at**

**each other darkly. When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be**

**trying to be nice**

**to Alex, made Dudley go and get it.**

"So she doesn't get them now", Bill noticed.

"Yeah...I wonder when she manages to get her Hogwarts letter.", Charlie said

thinking.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down**

**the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Miss. A. Potter, The**

**Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the**

**hall, Alex right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the**

**ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact**

**that**

**Alex had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

Everyone laughed at that, especially Ron and Hermione as they remembered the

troll accident.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the**

**Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with**

**Alex'**

**letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Alex.**

**"Dudley — go — just go."**

**Alex walked round and round her new room. Someone knew she had**

**moved**

**out of her cupboard and they seemed to know she hadn't received her first**

**letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time she'd make sure**

**they didn't fail. She had a plan.**

Ron, Hermione Neville and the twins groaned.

"Great!"

"That doesn't mean any good!", Neville whimpered.

"Hopefully everything goes well!", Ginny said, lightly concerned of her friend.,

"What's wrong with her plans?", Charlie asked suspicious.

"Well on paper, everything seems to be well planned and brilliant but as soon as

we're doing them, everything that possibly could go wrong, well – goes wrong!", Ron

explained.

"Does this also sounds very familiar to you, Moony?", Sirius grinned.

Remus smiled back at him,"Well seems like she's got all her "planning" from her

dad as well.", he laughed.

Alex moved lightly in her sleep, snuggling closer to Sirius. He laughed at her and

kissed her head.

Ron snickered. "I think she's thinking that she's sleeping in a bed. Sirius is her

pillow. Look"

**- 109 -**

Everyone looked at her. Her head was on Sirius chest while her arms were

clenched lightly around his waist.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Alex turned**

**it off quickly and dressed silently. She mustn't wake the Dursley's. She**

**stole**

**downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**She was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and**

**get the letters for number four first. Her heart hammered as she crept**

**across the dark hall toward the front door —**

**"AAAAARRRGH!"**

**Alex leapt into the air; she'd trodden on something big and squashy on the**

**doormat — something alive!**

The teenagers burst out laughing very loudly, Fred and George were lying on the

floor holding their stomachs and wiping away their tears.

"BOYS, be quiet! Alexandra is sleeping!", said sternly.

"Sorry mum!", they said in unison. "But really, just imagine Alex stepping in his fat

face!"

continued glaring at their sons, but her lips twitched slightly.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to her horror Alex realized that the big,**

**squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

Again some of them laughed but not as loud as seconds before.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping**

**bag, clearly making sure that Alex didn't do exactly what she'd been trying**

**to**

**- 110 -**

**do. He tea. Alex shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time she**

**got back, the mail had arrived,**

"The famous Potter luck working at its best.", Sirius sighed.

**right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Alex could see three letters addressed in**

**green ink.**

**"I want —" she began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces**

**before her eyes.**

"He's evil!", growled. Hermione saw him for the first time furious and she had to

admit it he looked scary.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day.**

"Someone's paranoid." Tonks said with a light laugh.

**He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they**

**can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Oh please, just grow a brain and listen to her!", Remus groaned.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like**

**you and me,**

"Thanks god for that!", Charlie groaned.

**" said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of**

**fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Don't surprise me they made Alex cook, she obviously can't cook the simplest

dishes,", Mrs. Weasley sounded furious.

Hermione sighed, "I still can't believe she didn't tell us what happened with her!"

"Come on Mione, you now Alex, she's a noble git and doesn't want anyone to

worry about her!", Ron rolled his eyes.

Hermione just nodded and mentioned for Sirius to continue.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Alex. As they couldn't go**

**through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted**

**through**

**the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the**

**downstairs**

**bathroom.**

"Smart", Kingsley said.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got**

**out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and**

**back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the**

**Tulips"**

**as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Seems like Alex' uncle is challenging Mad-Eye when it comes to paranoia.", Tonks

grinned but stopped when her mentor glared at her.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Alex**

**found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the**

**two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt**

**Petunia**

**through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious**

**telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to**

**complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Alex in**

**amazement.**

"Everyone!", the twins yelled.

"Especially our-"

"dear sister-"

"Ginerva Weasley-"

"her biggest fan", they finished together.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking**

**tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread**

**marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and**

**caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty**

**letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursley's ducked,**

**but Alex leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"Of course she does! She's the best seeker the Gryffindor team has ever had!"

"Oi!", Charlie pouted.

"Sorry bro, it's true!", Fred, George and Ron said.

Sirius and Remus looked proudly at Alex.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Alex around the waist and threw her into the hall.**

Sirius whimpered and looked at the sleeping girl concerned as though she could

disappear right in front of their eyes.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their**

**faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters**

**still**

**streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great**

**tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in**

**five**

**minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No**

**arguments!"**

"What is he up to?", said. "They can't just drive away and think that we'll stop

sending Alexandra Potter her Hogwarts letter."

"He lost it, dad!", Fred said with a straight face.

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one**

**dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the**

**boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway.**

**Dudley**

**was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for**

**holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer**

**in**

**his sports bag.**

continued writing down all the just mentioned Muggle things,

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they**

**were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and**

**drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Okay...that's creepy. It's a miracle that Alex is alright.!", Bill mumbled.

"William!", shouted at her eldest son.

"I'm just trying to say that if I would have to live with them I would have lost it

mum! Honestly, poor Alex."

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling.**

**He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five**

**television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long**

**without**

**blowing up an alien on his computer.**

" AH Poor baby Dudley! He can't live without his compsputa games", Ron hissed

at the book.

"It's "computer" Ron", Hermione said amused.

"You know what I mean!", he snapped back. She just giggled.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the**

**outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Alex shared a room with twin beds and**

**damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Alex stayed awake, sitting on the**

**windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"That's always dangerous..", Fred grinned.

"Especially when you're-" George said

"Alexandra Potter!", the Weasley twins said in unison.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast**

**the next day.**

"That's not a proper meal and it's not healthy. No wonder Alex so skinny!", said.

"When it's time for dinner I will personally make sure she eats at least three

helpings."

"Thank you, Molly", Remus said looking at the skinny girl between him and Sirius.

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their**

**table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Miss. A. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred**

**of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Miss. A. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Alex made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked her hand out of**

**the way. The woman stared.**

"Come on notice something! NOTICE", Tonks shouted desperately. Tears began to

form in Hermione's eyes. Tonks expected the hotel owner to notice something, and

she and Ron , Alex' best friends didn't figure it out. Of course both had noticed how

she avoided the topic about the holiday and her relatives, but they never really could

imagine that it was that bad.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her**

**from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested**

**timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into**

**the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in**

**the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle**

**of**

**a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a**

**multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that**

**afternoon.**

"Merlin, he's so far gone even the kid knows." Bill said.

**"Even you know it already", Alex mumbled to herself.**

**Aunt Petunia shoot her a glare and snapped ,"It's all your fault, girl!"**

**Alex turned to away from her and rolled her eyes.**

"She tends to do that a lot.", Remus winked, looking at his peacefully sleeping cub.

"Even more that she's a teenager now", Sirius grinned.

Ron grabbed a pillow and hit Alex' uncle and godfather playfully with it.

The two looked at him surprised and he said, "Alex would have done that but as

she's sleeping, she would have wanted me to do it."

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and**

**disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I**

**want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Alex of something. If it was Monday — and you**

**could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of**

**television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Alex' eleventh birthday.**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!", Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, Neville, Luna,

Hermione and Tonks shouted.

Alex' light hazel eyes blinked open and she looked confused from Sirius chest to

them.

"Hey cub, did you sleep well?", Remus asked her smiling.

Sirius groaned. "Guys you woke her up!"

"The girl was sleeping! I hope you're happy, you just woke her up! Arthur, Arthur

back me up.", yelled furiously.

"Boys, Girls I want you all to calm down, alright?", said, looking nervous and his

wife.

Alex was still looking at them with half closed eyes, "What are you screaming at

guys?", she mumbled.

"It's your birthday!", Ron said.

"What? Ron my birthday is in July", she asked confused.

"No, in the book are going to turn eleven.", Charlie explained grinning.

Alex just glared at them and turned again to her godfather and laid her head again

on his chest. "Siri?"

"Yes, pup?"

"Did I ever tell you that you're more comfortable than a pillow?", she said and

hugged him around his waist and closed her eyes.

Sirius chuckled at his goddaughter, "Try to sleep a little bit more Lexi, you're still

very tired."

She again nodded with closed eyes and Sirius started reading again.

**Of course, her birthdays were never exactly fun — last year; the Dursley's**

**had given her a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. But**

**next to that she had got also a letter, a book with children tales and a**

**birthday cake but she wasn't allowed to take them. Alex still knew what was**

**written in the letter.**

_**Dear Alex,**_

_**I wish you the best for your tenth birthday and I hope you are celebrating with**_

_**your friends and relatives and having a lot of fun with them.**_

_**I've sent you "Children Fairy Tales – Goodnight stories for a magic sleep" because**_

_**it was your favourite book when you were a baby. I always read you from this book**_

_**when you were upset or didn't want to sleep. I really hope that you still like and**_

_**enjoy it as you did when you were little.**_

_**I really hope that I can see you soon because I was a really good friend of your**_

_**parents and I practically was your uncle.**_

_**I am missing you so much and wish to see you again,**_

_**A good friend of the family**_

"Moony you send her letters?", Sirius asked just Remus.

"Yeah, every year at her birthday.", Remus said, "But I didn't know that the

Dursleys took them from her!"

Remus and Sirius shared a look and nodded. They were going to spoil her this

birthday.

**She had managed to read it very often before aunt Petunia had taken it**

**from her and punished her with more chores than usual.**

**Alex also saw once again arriving a letter with presents with the same**

**handwriting on it but she never got it. That's why she never enjoyed and**

**looked forward to her birthdays and it was the same this year. But still, you**

**weren't eleven every day.**

"That's true, the eleventh birthday is a really important one", Kinglsey said with

his deep voice.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"That can't be good." Charlie muttered looking worriedly at the girl between

Sirius and Remus.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia**

**when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked**

**like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most**

**miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain; there was**

**no television in there.**

"This will the death for Dudley", Ron snickered.

"What will the poor Ickle Diddyskins do without his television?", Tonks teased.

"It might also kill him, that he doesn't get what he wants..", Charlie.

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his**

**hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather**

**wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks**

**and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they**

**reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to**

**the broken-down house.**

"Did you get sick Alex?", asked sounding worried as she saw that Alex hadn't

fallen asleep as fast as before.

The girl between Sirius and Remus looked thoughtfully in the air and then shook

her head. "No, ." and smiled "I didn't"

"But when you were, they took care of you right?", Mrs. Weasley said desperate.

Alex avoided her eyes and lied "Well-er-yes of course ". She remembered when she

was about six year old she was very sick, had headache and very bad fever, but her

aunt and uncle had just had ignored it.

"Lexi don't lie to us", Sirius growled.

She sighed, "Guys really, it doesn't matter..."

"Of course it matters! It matters that they starved you, made you sleep in a

cupboard and didn't take care of you! It matters that you had to do chores and never

got the love you deserved!", Sirius shouted furiously.

Alex also got angry and snapped "Yeah but now it's late for that! You can't change

it anymore, Sirius. It already happened all in the past and I also got used to it."

Sirius heart broke at her words.

She looked quickly at him and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you.

It's not your fault. Sorry Siri." , she said and snuggled closer to him.

Her godfather clenched his arms around her tightly.

"Siri, you're suffocating me!", Alex mumbled.

He didn't let her go but loosened his hug. "Sorry", he said and kissed her

forehead.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled**

**through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and**

**empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four**

**bananas.**

Mrs. Weasley snorted loudly. That was hardly a snack, let alone rations!

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance**

**of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail.**

**Alex privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer her up at all.**

"She's such a pessimist!", Hermione shook her head.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the**

**high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the**

**filthy**

**windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and**

**made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon**

**went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Alex was left to find the softest**

**bit**

**of floor she could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Sirius wrapped his arms around Alex holding her for dear life.

"Sirius, remember that she won't go back there anymore.", Molly reminded him

gently.

He looked in her eyes and said bitterly, "I know, but still she doesn't deserve any

of this. It's so unfair that Lexi had to go through all this."

The adults looked at Alex again with pity in their eyes. She had fallen asleep

again, using Sirius chest as a pillow.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Alex**

**couldn't sleep. She shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable,**

**her**

**stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snore**

"That's the only thing she doesn't do in her sleep." Ron said with Neville nodding

her head. "Nah,she'll leave that to you too." Hermione said.

**were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The**

**lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the**

**sofa**

**on his fat wrist, told Alex she'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. She lay and**

**watched her birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursley's would**

**remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Alex heard something creak outside. She hoped the**

**roof wasn't going to fall in, although she might be warmer if it did.**

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of**

**letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like**

**that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was**

**the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"Oh sweet Merlin, someone is coming!", Charlie yelled nervously.

**One minute to go and she'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine**

**maybe she'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Come on do it Lexi!", Sirius whispered not to wake up Alex again.

"Sirius she just would get trouble again. Don't think it's a very good idea.", Remus

said thoughtfully.

Sirius nodded and sighed. "You're probably right,"

"Of course I am", Remus grinned.

— **three… two… one…**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Alex sat bolt upright, staring at the door.**

**Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Hopefully it's not someone dangerous", Hermione said.

"Knowing her luck...", Ron said looking nervous.+

Sirius sighed and announced, "That was the third chapter."

"Alright kids, I think it's enough for today. We should all go to sleep.",said Molly.


End file.
